Gemini Lotus
by Aerys Krystie
Summary: Dark and Krad have their own bodies. Dark is having bizarre dreams and fears he's the one causing harm to the demonic angel. Yaoi in later chapters. Contains A LOT of language. Who said angels don't learn? Guest author: Danaeyl Panthernopaeus.
1. Gemini Lotus I

**~Gemini Lotus~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

**Guest author:** Danaeyl Panthernopaeus. Dream guy!

**Theme:** AU.

**Plot:** Krad's having a difficult time getting used to the idea of having his own body. He can't understand the need for school. He's losing his mind and he's reaching out to the one person he knows that can save him. The only problem, can he see the warning signs before it's too late?

**Warnings:** Language, slight violence, slight insanity, yaoi, slight horror themes and OOC. Possibly more as the story goes, considering it is taking on a life of its own.

**Disclaimer:** The characters of DNAngel _do not_ belong to me. I make no profit from this story.

* * *

If a group of teenagers were asked a simple question, Dark would be the first to say that he hated Mondays. After a relaxing two day break, he hated having to get up at quarter to six the next morning. It just plain sucked and it usually put him in a bit of a bad mood, especially considering Dark still didn't believe in having a bedtime. He went to bed, usually, whenever he passed out. Emiko wasn't pleased about that, Dark knew that but what choice did Dark have? It's going to take a little longer than a month for Dark to get into the habit. Moreover, Dark wasn't looking forward to this particular Monday.

Dark opened his eyes and stared at his alarm clock as it continued to buzz annoyingly at him. He slapped the snooze button and rolled onto his back, hands behind his head as he gazed up at his ceiling. Downstairs, he could hear Emiko in the kitchen, making breakfast. Daisuke was in the bathroom and not even God knows where the grandfather was. Dark took the nine minutes – seven now – of snooze time to reflect on the last month of his existence with his own body.

For the sake of doing something everyday, Dark had enrolled at the school Daisuke attended. As it was expected, Dark became the most popular in the education building, which helped Daisuke's status go up as well. No one, not even Dark, knew what had happened. He just woke up on the living room sofa of Daisuke's place, naked. Emiko didn't seem to mind that part and Daisuke had blushed like a girl. The dunkel engel remembered everything, last three hundred years of his life but didn't remember how he ended up on the sofa, neither did Emiko or Daisuke. Dark assumed that if he had his own body, Krad would too, and his assumptions were rectified by Daisuke, who had spoken to Satoshi.

School was fun. Dark enjoyed all the attention he got. Granted, there was some attention from the male population he didn't want and the unwanted desires of a certain Harada twin but other than that, it was mostly smooth sailing. The studying was annoying and Dark _loathed_ assignments that he had to do over the weekends. What kind of sadist did that? As far as Dark was concerned, that was something so evil, only Krad would think of it. If it wasn't bad enough they had to attend five days a week, he had to take some of the hell home with him. The 'hell' being homework. Some of his teachers seemed to have a hard on for homework and Dark hated one in particular, science. Krad and Dark's science teacher would get along famously if they were to ever meet and Dark had no doubt they would. Demons seemed to find each other.

Krad. Dark hadn't seen the so-called 'light angel' since they were given their own bodies but had a feeling he would see the prick that had made the last three hundred years of his life murder when he got to school. That's right. The Monday that Dark wished would never have happened was finally on him. Apparently, Satoshi was tired of Krad staying locked up and forced him to do something. According to Daisuke, Satoshi had suggested school, so Krad could _some_ social skills. Dark had laughed at that, when he heard it. Not only did Krad not want to be around people, Dark was certain the blond sure as hell didn't want to speak to them. Satoshi was pinning too much on Krad changing who he was, in Dark's eyes.

There was a knock at the bedroom door and Dark called that he was awake, just as his alarm went off again. He turned the damn thing off and threw back the covers, stretching. He got to his feet and headed to the bathroom. Dark showered quickly and returned to the bedroom to get dressed. With a yawn, he joined the rest of the family downstairs and looked at what Emiko had prepared for breakfast. Dark's stomach growled and he wolfed down everything that was placed in front of him. He knew he should've taken him time to enjoy it, as it was probably the only good thing that was going to happen to him that day. Once breakfast was over and done with, Daisuke and Dark went to the front door, got their bags for school and pulled on their shoes.

"Now, Dark, be nice to Krad. He's not like you and Satoshi said he's having a hard time trying to deal with being humanish," Daisuke said.

"I'm always nice, Dai!" Dark exclaimed, feigning hurt.

That was true, to an extent. Dark couldn't be held responsible for what he might do to Krad, though. Three hundred years is a lot of past to forget just because Krad didn't know how to be human. And yet, by the glare on Daisuke's face, Dark knew his ex-host was going to be keeping a close eye on him just to make sure the school stayed in tact during the day. Again, that wasn't Dark's fault. Most of the time, if not _all_ of the time, Krad was the one that started the fights and Dark was just the one who got the blame, somehow. _Curse that blond bastard for being able to get me into trouble without trying!_ Dark's eyes narrowed and opened the door with more force than necessary.

Emiko called out for them to have a good and they shouted back their thanks and byes. The walk to school was a quiet one, quieter than usual. Daisuke glanced at the angel and saw that he seemed to be in deep thought. Daisuke was worried. For Dark to be thinking about something like that, it could only mean one of two things. One: Dark was thinking of ways to kill Krad without any of the blame falling on him. Or two: Dark didn't do an assignment and was thinking of an excuse to get himself a little more time to finish it. The last time that second one had happened, Daisuke had to fake tears over a dead goldfish they never had. When confronted about it, Dark had said he'd overheard Daisuke asking Emiko for one. Sometimes, Dark just knew when to be completely stupid and most of the time, it caught Daisuke off guard.

As they walked, Satoshi's car pulled up beside them and the blue haired teen stepped out. Daisuke stopped and grinned. Satoshi had been free of Krad's parasitic ways for a year, before the freak accident happened. Daisuke knew that without having to keep Krad under control, Satoshi would lighten up a little and the two teens had become friends. Satoshi was still cold but he was no longer unfeeling or hateful, something that Daisuke was grateful about.

"Hey, Dark! Our ride is here!" Daisuke called.

Dark paused and looked over his shoulder, seeing Daisuke disappeared into the back of the car. With a sigh, Dark followed and froze when he saw Krad in there, as well. Krad didn't even pay attention to either of them, just continued to stare out the window. Dark was thankful for small mercies as he closed the door and the car continued on with journey. Daisuke and Satoshi spoke about an upcoming project they were going to be working on and Dark glanced at Krad. He saw what Satoshi meant about Krad not adapting well to having his own body. The blond at least knew what a shower was as his gold hair was gleaming and his skin was clear and radiant, like it always had been. Dark felt a small pang of jealousy at that.

"Hey, Krad," Dark said with a friendly tone. He got nothing. No reply. No glare. No acknowledgment whatsoever. Not even a blink of the eye. Dark stretched across and poked Krad's ankle with his foot. "I said, hello!"

Krad shook his head and glanced at Dark. "Good morning."

Dark raised an eyebrow. He wasn't expecting that, considering Krad had told him he wanted a long distance relationship. If what they had could be called a relationship. Basically, Krad had told Dark to go to hell and for the blond to say 'good morning', albeit like he wasn't fully aware of where he was, just wasn't something Krad did. Dark didn't know what he was complaining about. He should just be happy that Krad didn't try to instigate a fight in the back of a moving car. Dark knew that Krad wouldn't have a problem with opening the door and throwing Dark out or throwing himself out.

They arrived a few minutes later at the gate to the school and they filed out of the car. Dark held his hand up, shielding his eyes from the sun as the car took off. Krad stared after it mournfully and Dark smirked to himself. _That's right, Krad, you're not about to become my bitch_, he thought smugly as they walked onto school grounds. Satoshi said he would take Krad to the office so he could his class schedule and would see Daisuke later. Dark watched them go and headed to his class. He could only hope that Krad wasn't with him. That would make things even more annoying.

* * *

_I hate my life._ That was the only thing Dark could think when Krad sat beside him in his first class. _Seriously, what the fuck did I do to deserve this?_ Dark stared at Krad. _More importantly, what do I have to do to make this all be a bad dream? Save the rainforest? Help uneducated kids? Recycle?_ Dark sighed to himself and faced forward. He hoped that if he ignored Krad then the blond would just disappear, go back to Black Wings and never show his face again.

Already Krad was making Dark's life a hell. The demonic angel already had girls whispering about him and if they were talking about him, they weren't talking about Dark and Dark didn't like that. Sure, popularity was superficial but Dark didn't care how shallow that made him. He was the Phantom Thief! Well, ex-Phantom Thief but that should've been enough to make sure no one ever spoke about anyone besides him. Dark glanced at Krad, trying to see what the girls saw. _Maybe it's his long hair. They could think he's gay and try to be friends with him. Isn't a girl's best friend meant to be a gay guy?_ Dark raised an eyebrow and smirked. Perhaps there was something left for him to do to Krad to make up for the last three hundred years.

When first period was over, Dark turned to Krad as the other students left the room. "What class do you have next?"

"Science," Krad replied, putting his books into his bag.

"Same." Dark got to his feet and waited for Krad. "You should like our teacher. You and he have a lot in common. He's a sadist, too." Dark thought he heard Krad sigh as the blond stood and walked out of the room. Dark raised an eyebrow but shrugged and followed, leading the way to the next class. After that, there was a ten minute break, another three periods, lunch and a final class before the day was over.

When they walked into the room, the teacher, Mr. Ito, pulled Krad aside and thrust a pile of papers in his face. "New student, brilliant! Take this ten page test so I can see what you know. You have until the end of this class. Sit at the back of the room. If you raise your head, I'll assume you've finished."

Krad blinked and took the papers, heading to the back of the class. He sat down and got out a pencil. Dark watched him and raised an eyebrow again. When Ito had done that to him, Dark got detention for a week for telling the teacher to go fuck himself. Krad either didn't want to get a bad reputation or had completely lost his spine and do whatever he was told to. Or maybe it was a bit of both. Dark couldn't be sure. He took his seat and waited for the teacher to spring a test on them, like he had done with Krad. Instead, it was time for a pop quiz and Dark mentally cursed.

As the minutes wearily ticked by, that class was the longest period, Dark glanced over his shoulder at Krad, who was working diligently on the test. That was when Dark realized he didn't know a thing about Krad, except that he was evil. He didn't know how intelligent Krad was or if the blond even knew about anything, except how to cause Dark the most pain without even breaking a sweat. Dark sighed and went back to his quiz. As he stared at the questions, Dark thought to himself how much easier it would be to know the answers to the stupid questions if the teacher didn't make the class so painfully boring. Most of the time, the students just tuned out and thought about irrelevant things. Dark assumed everyone did that because it was what he was known for doing. Every so often, in other classes, he would daydream.

Right then, even though he didn't care, Dark was curious as to how well Krad was doing on that test Ito had thrown at him. It wouldn't be surprising if Krad was struggling with it, considering it was his first day and not even Dark knew what section they were on in their books. On the other hand, Satoshi was a genius, so maybe Krad was as well. With another look, Dark saw Krad pull his file out and begin writing something down. _It's probably the same test,_ Dark figured _that I got on my first day, too._ Which meant there were three essay questions and Krad was probably on the first, writing as quickly as possible.

That test was horrible and deserved to be thrown in a raging fire, as far as Dark was concerned. Like he cared about the molecular structure of anything or how one formula could save thousands of cells or anything like that. Much less having to write a five page essay on three different subjects. Dark could barely write five lines. It seemed Krad didn't have a problem with it, though as he was already on the third page of the first essay. _I hate him._ There was another pang of jealousy as Krad finished the first essay and got to work on another. _Great. He'll probably be a teacher's pet, too._ Dark turned his attention back to his quiz and realized he had only done the first two questions. He found it a little disturbing that watching Krad do a ten page test was more interesting than getting good grades.

"Have you completed the test, Krad?" Ito asked, smirking. He did warn Krad that if he looked up during the test, he was done. And that included checking the time.

"Yes, sir."

Shocked murmurs went through the class as Krad handed in the test and waited for the teacher to mark it. "Great, just what we need. Another genius that Ito can compare us to and belittle us with," the kid next to Dark whined.

Dark ignored him and watched Ito. The teacher put his pen down and looked Krad directly in the eye, until Krad lowered his head. "There's only been one other student in this school that's been able to complete that test and get a mark of ninety-eight. Good work." Ito smiled and Dark felt the need to vomit.

Krad nodded and returned to the desk at the back of the class. The kid beside Dark spoke again, "Why are the emo kids always the smartest?"

"He's not emo," Dark said, a smirk curving his lips. "He's just gay."

"Well, no shit," the kid said and laughed. "Everyone knew that in first period."

_Your high school years just got worse, Krad,_ Dark thought triumphantly. He cheered, along with three other people, when the bell rang. They all placed their quiz on the teacher's desk and ran from the room. Dark waited outside, knowing that if showed up without Krad, Daisuke would attempt to hurt him and Dark didn't want to lose any more of his popularity for hurting the kid. Just when he saw Krad, the door closed and he heard the teacher's muffled voice from the other side. Dark's patience began to run thin after five minutes. He decided he would just tell the other two that Krad was talking to the teacher. After all, Krad wasn't his responsibility and the blond could just ask someone else for directions to the next class.

* * *

When the bell for lunch rang, Dark was worried. Krad hadn't shown up to the last three periods and that wasn't the best way to start a first day. He went outside and was surprised to see Krad sitting under a tree, a small bird on his hand. _Well, he can't be _that _evil if birds aren't scared of him._ Dark walked over to the blond and the bird took flight, Krad raising his head to watch it flee. Dark sat beside the light angel and gently nudged him.

"What happened to you? You missed three periods." Krad didn't say anything and Dark got the feeling it was going to be more useful to talk to a wall. But he wasn't going to accept Krad's silence. "Did Ito keep you busy for extra credit or something?" he teased, surprised when Krad got to his feet and walked off. "Did I say something wrong?"

Dark looked up when someone called his name. He saw Daisuke waving him over, holding lunch in the air. Dark stood and brushed the dirt off his pants as he joined Satoshi and Daisuke at the picnic table. Dark did love autumn. As much as he didn't want people to know, Dark enjoyed the school yard at that time of year. The trees were beautiful with their orangey-red leaves. He opened his lunch and began eating, not paying much attention and just staring at the scenery.

"Dark-san!"

"Oh, fuck me," Dark groaned and looked up. He saw Risa running towards him, a huge smile plastered on her face. _Krad, even if you aren't, you have no idea how lucky you are for everyone to think you're gay._ Dark forced a grin as the girl sat beside him. "Hi…Risa."

"I made something for you!"

Dark bit back a scream when he saw her pull out a lunch box. He quickly thought of an excuse. "Hey, look at that!" he said and pointed to somewhere above Satoshi's head. When the girl looked, Dark ran. He ran like he was being chased by a monster, which in his mind, Risa was. He went to the male washroom, slamming the door and resting his back against it, panting. "Fucking psycho," he muttered to himself.

Dark went to a basin and splashed cold water over his face. He felt guilty that he had left Daisuke and Satoshi alone with the girl but he knew they would understand. Dark shut the water off and heard someone vomit. He groaned. It was still better than being beside them because he had tried Risa's cooking, though. The person blew their nose, flushed the toilet and stepped out, freezing.

"Krad?" Dark turned around, an eyebrow raised. "Are you okay?"

Dark took a step towards the blond, who just leaned heavily on the door of the stall. Satoshi shouldn't have said that Krad was having a _difficult_ time adapting. It appeared that Krad wasn't adapting at all to having his own body. Dark placed a hand on Krad's forehead. He didn't feel too hot, so he obviously didn't have a fever. There were a couple of other things that Dark could think of. One: Krad was stressed. Or two: Krad remembered something really disgusting.

Dark placed a hand on Krad's shoulder, his eyes widening. It felt like bone and only bone. "Hey, Krad? Do you pain in this area of your body?" Dark asked, placing his other hand on Krad's abdomen. Krad nodded. "That's called a hunger pain, which means you should eat something."

Dark was about to say something else when Krad turned around, knelt and vomited again. Krad was throwing up a lot of something for someone who had probably only eaten once, maybe twice and that was probably when Satoshi forced him. Dark went down on one knee beside Krad, rubbing his back and shuddering. It was disgusting to rub someone's spine and it made Dark's stomach churn at the feel. Still, Satoshi probably didn't think he had anything to explain and just assumed that Krad knew what to do, after being trapped inside of humans for so long.

Krad glanced at Dark from the corner of his eye. "Thank you," he whispered.

Dark smiled kindly and got some toilet paper and wiped the corners of Krad's mouth. "Don't worry about it. Let's get you to the nurse's office and see if she'll hold you until the end of the day." Dark threw the paper into the toilet, seeing that Krad had thrown up a lot of water and there were traces of milk. He flushed and wrapped an arm around Krad's waist, crying out when Krad suddenly jerked back.

"No. I want to go to class."

Dark frowned. He couldn't let Krad go to class in the condition he was in. He had to take the blond home and feed him something. "Krad, no. You're in not in the best condition." _Why do I give a fuck again?_

Krad shook his head weakly. "I don't care. I'm not going to the nurse's office."

"And why not?"

Krad shifted. "I told her I was fine."

"So she knows about your anorexia?"

Krad got to his feet, relying a little too much on the wall and left the stall, rinsing his mouth out. "I don't suffer from anorexia, Dark," he stated matter-of-factly.

Dark stood behind Krad and raised an eyebrow. "Right," he drawled. "And what would you call it?"

"I'd call it 'not knowing how the fucking human body works', jackass." Krad spun around and stepped back, not realizing Dark was that close to him. He winced as the basin dug into his back but glared at Dark, who looked amused at his little outburst. "Fuck you."

Dark watched as Krad stepped around him, grabbed his bag and left the restroom. If Krad didn't want to admit he had a problem that was his fault. Dark just felt sorry for Satoshi, who would have to pay for the funeral when Krad finally died. And Dark would have to pay for the after party to celebrate that Krad was dead and wasn't going to bother anyone again. He looked up when the bell rang and swore when he remembered he'd left his bag outside. He hoped that one of the other two had grabbed it before Risa did. The last thing he needed was for her to go through his stuff and take what she wanted.

Dark stepped out and was greeted by Satoshi, who thrust his bag at him. "Try not to piss Krad off again, please. I don't want the cops on my front doorstep again because he just beat the shit out of someone."

Dark raised an eyebrow and found himself to be doing that a lot that day, especially when it came to Krad. "Sure, no promises though. He hates me, remember?"

"I can understand why. Telling someone who doesn't suffer from anorexia that they do is any reason to hate someone, Dark. What part of 'he doesn't understand what he's going through' didn't you understand?" Satoshi turned and walked off before Dark could give his answer.

"No one ever said he didn't understand," Dark called out, growling softly when Satoshi just waved his hand. "Well, they didn't," he muttered to himself, heading in the opposite direction for the last class of the day.

When Dark entered the room, the teacher for that class was always late; he was not impressed to see Krad talking to the cutest girl in the entire school, Miyuki. The blond was pointing something out in her work and explaining it to her. She looked up at Krad and smiled sweetly, which seemed to take Krad by surprise and Dark smirked. Obviously the poor girl hadn't heard that Krad's gay and was getting her hopes up for nothing. He walked up them and saw that it was her essay for the class.

"You know so much about it," she gushed and Dark wanted to kill Krad right there. "Almost like you were there."

It was an essay on World War II and Krad was there. He was the one that gave Hitler the idea to start the damn war. The jealousy spiked again and Dark so wanted to let her know that Krad was responsible for the death of thousands of people. He knew, however, that if he did that, he would be the one branded as crazy and ridiculed the rest of his high school life and probably into college.

"Oh, I'm sorry I'm late class! I forgot!" Ms. Tachibana said as she entered. Her short blond hair was disheveled and the papers she carried were just as bad.

The class chuckled and Dark always had a theory about why an attractive woman like her was still single; she'd probably forget about her own wedding. He took his seat and noticed that Krad sat beside Miyuki. Another pang of jealousy. Dark had been trying for the last month to get her attention and she just shut him down every time he tried. Krad walked in and she was all over him. That sucked. That more than sucked. That pissed Dark off to no end. What was so special about Krad that the girls would forget about him and pant after the demonic blond? Dark studied Krad. They weren't different; they both had the almond shaped eyes so maybe it was the coloring. Dark shook his head. It couldn't be anything to do with looks because Dark knew he was the better looking of the two. It just had to be the fact that he was the new student.

Ms. Tachibana looked at Krad, confused before a grin spread over her face. "Oh! You're the new student Mr. Ito was talking about! It's so nice to meet you and welcome to your history class!" Krad gave a small, almost shy smile and Dark's eyes widened. "Well, then! Shall we get started?"

* * *

"I fucking hate him!" Dark raged when he got home. He kicked his shoes off and stormed up to his bedroom, slamming the door.

Emiko blinked and turned to Daisuke. "What happened?"

Daisuke actually had no idea what had happened. He knew Dark was angry on their walk home as he refused to get a ride, like they normally did. He told Satoshi to piss off and had walked on. Daisuke apologized and had followed, trying to get an answer. Dark just continued muttering to himself the entire time and then they got home and Dark had made a hell of an entrance. It still didn't make sense and Daisuke wasn't sure he wanted to ask Dark any more questions, not while the angel was in that sort of mood.

"I have no idea, mum. He's been angry since school finished."

"Daisuke, honey, he's not angry; he's pissed off." Emiko sighed and went back to the kitchen, continuing with dinner. Once Dark calmed down, he would be hungry.

Dark threw himself down on his bed, after removing his uniform. _I. Fucking. Hate. Him. I hate him!_ Dark sighed and rolled onto his back. He looked at his curtain, not that it was anything interesting but it was fluttering in the wind and Dark knew he didn't open his window. He left it alone. He didn't care. If someone was going to break into the house via his window, they were insane, not to mention amateurs. Why break into someone's house and then leave something open and let know you were there? _Morons._ Dark moved onto his knees and let his head fall back, closing his eyes.

Dark sighed. _I don't hate him. It's not his fault I'm a slacker._ He opened his eyes slowly and gazed at the ceiling for the second time that day. With a sigh, he got up and went to his desk, taking his bag with him. Tachibana had given them a report to do for extra credit. It wasn't something he wanted to do but Dark was bored and didn't want to think too much about Krad. The blond had taken up too much of his time that day as it was and Dark wasn't going to think about him when he didn't have to.

_The French Revolution? Wasn't Krad responsible for that one, too?_ Dark pulled out his history textbook as well as his file and a pen. He began reading and scoffed. Yeah, that looked like Krad's work. _Man, Krad. What the fuck happened to you? Once upon a time, our roles were reversed then you went insane._ Dark shrugged to himself and continued to read. Before he knew it, he was half way through the chapter of the French Revolution and was brought out of it by someone knocking on his door. He marked the page, stood, stretched and opened his door, seeing Krad standing there, gold eyes wide as they took in Dark's lack of attire.

Dark's heart skipped a few beats as Krad's eyes looked him over. Seconds later, which felt like hours to the blond, Krad blushed and turned away, after glaring at Dark. "Do you always open your bedroom door when you're naked?"

Dark laughed. He was going to have so much fun. "Only when I know there's someone who'll take a full minute to get over my sexiness on the other side." Door still open, Dark pulled on a pair of jeans. "Did you want something?"

"I was sent up here to tell you that dinner is ready, also that Satoshi and I will be joining you." Krad glanced over his shoulder and looked away as another blush crept onto his cheeks. He hurried downstairs, not wanting to be around Dark.

"Fuck me…" Dark muttered as he pulled his shirt on and left his room, closing the door.

Emiko had cooked enough food to feed an army, Dark noticed as he sat down at the table. That was the second thing he noticed, the first thing he noticed was Krad talking to Daisuke. That was enough to give anyone a shock but somehow; Dark was expecting it, since Krad almost had a girlfriend, by the name of Miyuki. The thought of getting laid was enough to put anyone in a better mood. Dark sat down as Emiko brought out a last dish and took her seat.

"So, Krad, are you still evil?" she asked as she helped herself to some garlic vegetables.

"I'm not starting wars and revolutions anymore, if that's what you mean, Emiko-san."

"And are you still trying to kill Dark?"

Krad turned his eyes to Dark and he could've sworn he saw a playful twinkle in them before he looked back at Emiko. "Only if he gives me a reason to."

"I'd just kick your ass again," Dark practically challenged.

"Don't start," Emiko, Satoshi, Daisuke and Krad warned.

Dark pouted slightly and went back to eating. He glanced at Krad and saw something odd. Krad's hair was falling over his shoulder as he lent around Satoshi to answer one of Emiko's questions. It was odd because Krad's hair was longer than that. It was long enough to strangle someone with. A glimmer of light around Krad's neck drew Dark's attention to the silver cross hanging from a collar. The same cross that used to be at the end of his hair. _I think I might be paying too much attention to Krad. Why do I care if his hair has been cut?_ Dark blinked.

"When did you cut your hair, Krad?" he asked.

"It had to be cut today," Krad replied. "Some asshole in history class got me with the scissors while I was helping Miyuki with her essay."

"Oh, wow!" Daisuke breathed, only noticing it himself. "Do you know who did it?"

"No, but I have thirteen suspects. Well, fourteen if you include Dark, but I don't think he would do anything that heartless."

_Would I do something like that?_ Dark mentally shook his head. He knew he wouldn't have even thought of attacking Krad like that. Dark knew that Krad's hair was as important to him as Dark's…Uh…'Friend' was to him and since Krad had never gone for that spot on Dark, he wouldn't sink as low as to attack Krad's hair. Dark focused his eyes on Krad, who lowered his to the bowl of rice in front of him. Dark finished his food and thanked Emiko for it. He stood and went back to his room, taking his shirt off and closing the door. He liked to feel secluded when studying and he wasn't sure why. He could hear Daisuke and Satoshi in the next room, a few minutes after him. He looked up when there was another knock at his door and sighed, getting up to open it.

"At least I wasn't naked this time," he teased and Krad rolled his eyes.

"Can I do my report up here until Satoshi is ready to leave?"

Dark shrugged and stepped to the side, allowing Krad in. When Krad stood in the center of the room, Dark closed his door and went back to his desk. Krad looked around. It was clean, which was something he wasn't expecting from Dark. He noticed the opened window and pulled back the curtain, bending at the waist to look out. The last few rays of sun over the ocean were beautiful and Krad could feel himself smiling. He was a sucker for sappy shit like that.

"You have a great view," he commented.

Dark looked over his shoulder and snorted. "I'm not that kind of man, Krad. Asses aren't my thing."

"I meant past me, dumbass." Krad let the curtain drop and moved to the bed, sitting on the edge. He opened his bag and took out his file. He knew all the intimate details of the French Revolution and wasn't doing the report to get the extra credit. He was doing it just so he could document his account of it and slip in a few things that Ms. Tachibana probably didn't know.

"Hey, Krad?"

"Yeah?"

"You should smile more often. It doesn't make you look as scary."

"Go fuck yourself."

"I can see why Satoshi prefers it when you're a submissive little bitch." Dark smirked and turned to Krad, who had his eyes lowered and a strange look on his face. "Fuck, Krad, I'm sorry."

Dark was certain that Krad was like him and still had his memories from when they used to rely on a host. Dark knew there were certain things in Krad's past, things that Dark didn't know about, that weren't the most memorable. After all, no one goes insane for no reason and starts wars all over the place just for the fun of it. Dark never had the chance to ask Krad about what his life was like and something told him, he didn't really need to know. Dark just knew that something happened to Krad with his second host that sent him around the twist.

Krad blinked and looked up at Dark. The twinkle of playfulness wasn't in there and they looked sort of clouded, as if Krad was thinking about something. He nodded at Dark and went back to writing his report, trying his best to ignore Dark's gaze, which was still on him and continued to stay on him, until Krad finally sighed and looked up.

"What?"

Dark shook his head. "Just trying to see what Miyuki sees in you."

Krad frowned slightly, perplexed. "Dark, she's gay. Or did you not see her kissing her girlfriend at the gate, when you walked past?"

"She isn…Fuck! I really can't catch a break." Dark rested his elbow on the desk and his head against his knuckles, still looking at Krad. "Is that why you're friends?"

"I assume that's your indirect way of asking if I'm gay, too?" Dark nodded and Krad rolled his eyes, again. "Yes, I am."

Dark went to make a comment about how Krad couldn't be straight and with Krad's confession, the words from Dark's brain to his mouth sounded like, "I am you gay…R-really?" He cursed his brain for getting confused.

Krad tilted his head to the side, trying to make sense of what Dark had said. "Yeah, I really am gay. I'm pretty sure my attraction to other males is definitive. And you're me gay?"

Dark quickly thought about it and wondered if his popularity was high enough for him to fuck around with Krad a little. Deciding it was and because he wanted to, he got to his feet and walked over to Krad, standing in front of him. And the fact that Krad wouldn't mention it to anyone was also a plus. It might just be a rumor at the moment but no one knew for certain that Krad was gay and unless someone asked, he wasn't going to parade that fact about himself.

"I was meant to say, 'I'm gay for you'." Dark bent at the waist and Krad looked up, putting their mouths barely an inch apart.

Krad's eyes hardened and stood. "You're a fucking douchebag."

"What?" Dark demanded, feigning both anger and hurt. _I really should get an award for this._ "I proclaim my desire for you and the first thing you do is insult me?"

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really, you asshole."

Krad bit his lip and lowered his eyes, a light blush covering his cheeks. "Kiss me, then."

Dark faltered slightly. He shrugged and pressed his lips to Krad, an arm snaking around the blond's thin waist and pulling him closer. Dark slipped a hand behind Krad's head and gently worked his fingers in circular movements. He knew he had taken Krad but surprise and that the blond still wasn't over it. His jaw had gone lax and Dark slipped his tongue into Krad's mouth, moaning quietly. He opened his eyes slightly and saw Krad's were still wide. A second later, he pulled back and Krad still appeared to be in shock over it.

Dark smirked. "Now do you believe me?"

Krad blushed and shook his head. "No but Miyuki owes me fifty bucks." Krad looked into Dark's eyes, a sly smirk on his lips. "But you played it out brilliantly, I'll give you that. I almost believed you for a second."

"You knew I was lying and you bet fifty bucks that I would kiss you?" Dark growled as Krad laughed. It wasn't a cruel laugh but a playful one. "I'll kill you!"

"Be gentle, I'm a flower!" Krad said as he dodge Dark's attempt to grab him. He slipped out the window and Dark followed.

Dark reached out and took one of Krad's wrists, stopping the blond, who was still laughing. He was about to rip into Krad and threaten that if he told anyone, the threats would become a promise. He was until he realized that Krad was indeed _laughing_ like he was having a good time. It was a sound that Dark hadn't heard from Krad in so many years, Dark was certain Krad had forgotten how to laugh that way and when he thought about it, it was a nice sound. Maybe Krad had changed for the better.

Krad went serious and looked up at the sky. Dark's eyes followed Krad's and Krad slipped from his grip, going back into the room. Dark cursed, jumped through the window and tackled Krad. He turned the blond over and pinned him to his bedroom floor. Krad was biting his lip to stop himself from laughing. His cheeks were beginning to hurt from the smiling that came with it.

"Say 'uncle'."

"No," Krad almost sang out.

"Say it or I'll –" Dark pressed his hips into Krad's more and froze.

Dark released Krad and they both scooted away from each other, staring at the other like they were insane. Dark watched as Krad got up, made an excuse about leaving something in the oven at home, collected his file and bag and took off out of the room. Dark swallowed, his heart still thumping in his chest as he looked down at his lap. _What the fuck is wrong with me? That was Krad, not some cute girl!_ Dark calmed himself and glanced at the clock beside his bed. It was only quarter to eight but Dark had to get some sleep. At least Satoshi and Daisuke were being quiet, which could raise a few questions but Dark didn't want to think about anything like that for a while.

* * *

Dark woke with a gasp, his heart pounding. He sat up and looked around his room. _That was fucked up,_ he told himself as he threw back the covers, sitting on the edge of his bed. He ran his fingers through his hair. He looked at the time and sighed. It was after three in the morning and Dark knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. Something wasn't right. With another sigh, he got to his feet and got dressed, the dream replaying in his head, until he forced himself to think about something else.

The best part about having his own body was that he no longer needed With for his wings; they just materialized on his back. He crawled out of his still open window and took to the sky. Twenty minutes later, he arrived but didn't land. He floated as he looked down at the balcony of one of the many rooms at Satoshi's mansion. Krad was on the balcony, at three-thirty in the morning, with a glass of milk, staring out over the ocean, in nothing more than boxers and a singlet. When Krad went inside, Dark landed soundlessly on the balcony and saw that Krad had kept the doors open, the white mesh curtains moving with the breeze. His wings disappearing, Dark stepped into the room and glanced at the large bed. The covers were still back from when Krad had woken and the milk was on the bedside chest but the blond was nowhere to be seen.

"Dark?" Krad closed the door to the bathroom and looked around. "What are you doing here? Is everything okay? If someone got hurt, there's this wicked invention that's been out for a while, called a telephone."

Dark went over to the bedside chest and turned on the lamp, turning back to face Krad. In the dim light, he could see just how much weight Krad had lost due to not knowing anything about the human body. Dark actually didn't know why he was there. After the dream he had, he just wanted to make sure his counterpart was safe. It was annoying him already. He didn't understand why he should care if Krad did something stupid or even why he should care that Krad didn't bother to learn about the human body or even why he wore white leather wristbands while he slept.

So, Dark decided to settle for a sure fire reason why he would be there at that hour. "I just wanted to make sure that whatever happened yesterday in my bedroom stays in my bedroom."

"Whatever," Krad muttered as he passed Dark and got under the covers of his bed again. "I'm not a loudmouth, Dark."

"I mean it."

Krad turned the lamp off. "That's nice."

"Fuck you, Krad."

"_You_ wish."

Dark smiled and shook his head. "Go to hell."

"_I_ wish."

Dark shifted but didn't leave. He would stay there the rest of the night, just to be on the safe side. Krad, apparently, wasn't impressed by his caring nature, even though the blond didn't know the reason behind Dark's surprise visit. The blond got out of bed again and faced Dark, who could see that Krad just wanted to go back to sleep.

"Dark, I promise I won't tell anyone you got turned on by pinning a guy down. I would do a bloo –" Krad cut off into a gasp as Dark tackled him to his bed. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"If you _ever_ try to commit suicide…" Dark saw fear flash through Krad's eyes at the word before the blond turned his gaze elsewhere. "…I'll kill you."

Krad raised his upper body, staring into Dark's eyes. "I thought you hated me?"

"I did for a little while. But, come on, we had way too much fun fighting!" Dark smiled as he moved Krad's fringe out of his eyes, not catching on to what he was doing.

Krad stared at Dark and lowered his eyes. Dark might have had fun with the fighting because he always won and Krad had to sulk off and lick his wounds. Krad figured he was still being punished when he woke up in Satoshi's living room, still with his memories of what had happened to him and what he had done to vent the pain. Having his own body, Krad was disappointed to know that he felt pain much worse when he was attacked. He still had most of his speed, though with how much weight he had lost, the blond was finding it difficult to keep awake most of the time. He still didn't know what to eat when he got those 'hunger pains'. He didn't want to approach Satoshi about it and was grateful to be put in the same classes as Dark. Or was he getting his hopes up for nothing?

Krad laid down again, closing his eyes. "Dark?" he asked sleepily.

"Hmm?"

Krad cracked one eye open and saw Dark was practically asleep on top of him and smiled softly, closing the eye. "Do you think we could be friends? I'm tired of fighting a losing battle with you."

Dark rolled to the side of Krad, eyes closed, ready to sleep again. "Sure, as long as we can spar a little, every now and again."

"Sounds good to m…"

* * *

Dark sat up right when someone suddenly yelled, 'Get the fuck up!' He looked around and saw that he was in a white room. White walls, covered with paintings. White carpet, white wood bed frame, white covers, white curtains and Krad, asleep beside him in white boxers and a singlet. _How the fuck did I get here? Oh yeah. I had a fuck ass dream._ With a yawn, Dark gently shook Krad's shoulder, who groaned and reached for his covers. Dark chuckled. At least he found someone that was just like him in the mornings, only Dark was more prone to punching someone.

After another minute of shaking Krad's shoulder, Dark was certain Krad had fallen asleep to the movement. Okay, so Krad was better at getting sleep than Dark was. Dark picked Krad up and took him into the en suite, turning the cold water on in the shower. He tipped Krad from his arms into the shower, only to have the blond onto him and take him down as well. Krad opened his eyes and stared at Dark then giggled through chattering teeth. He reached up and turned the shower off, wringing his hair out and flicking it over his shoulder.

"Dark, you idiot. Did you really think I would fall for that?"

Dark shook his head violently, shaking the water from his hair. "Well, you could've said you were awake! We're both completely soaked now!"

Krad got to his feet and stepped over Dark. "There is one perk to living here, though."

Dark also stood and pulled his shirt off. "And what's that?"

Krad undid the ribbon that held his hair in a plait and looked over his shoulder as untwined it. "All my clothes are here, while _you_ have to fly home cold and wet."

Dark groaned and took his pants off, smirking when Krad blushed and looked away, throwing him a towel. "Thanks. Consider that payback for getting me wet."

Krad picked up his brush and walked out of the bathroom. "That's what she said."

"What…? Oh go to hell, Krad!"

"Again, I wish." Krad froze and threw a laugh at Dark, just so the thief wouldn't take the words literally, like Krad meant them.

Dark tried to get as much water out of the pants as possible and pulled them back on. He ran the towel through his hair and stepped out into Krad's bedroom, towel around his neck, watching Krad as he brushed his hair. It seemed Krad wasn't used to the new length of his hair as he kept trying to brush the longer ends but eventually got into the habit of it. Dark rested against the wall and continued to watch, smirking. He was going to find whatever asshole had cut Krad's hair and kill them. After all, he and Krad were friends now, which meant that Dark could hurt anyone that hurt the blond.

Dark swallowed as Krad flipped his hair behind him and glanced at him. Even in the mornings Krad still looked as beautiful as the night before. Dark's wings materialized and he stepped towards the balcony doors, pulling back the sheer curtains. He grinned at Krad and told the blond he would see him on the way to school.

"Wait, Dark!" Krad called, on his feet. He jumped onto the balcony's stone railing and snatched the towel back. "Oh shit!"

Dark looked over his shoulder and laughed, swooping down; he caught Krad and put him back on the balcony. "You are so accident prone," he teased before taking off again, laughing as he heard Krad scream 'fuck you' after him.

Dark arrived on his small balcony twenty minutes later and looked around. He showered and got dressed in the crappy uniform, joining the others for breakfast. As Dark looked around, he noticed that the old guy that lived with them had been making himself scarce the past few weeks. _He must have a job._ Dark snickered at his thoughts and gladly ate whatever Emiko put in front of him. She was surprised to see Dark down before Daisuke but she wasn't going to question the three hundred year old.

Dark smiled to himself. He felt energized, for some reason. He figured it was because Krad's bed was so soft, not that his bed wasn't. Krad's just felt softer, especially with the thick covers, which he hadn't needed, when he passed out. Krad, on the other hand, was curled up into a small ball, probably trying to keep himself warm. Sometimes, Dark wished he carried a camera with him. It would've been nice to take a picture of the blond like that and embarrass the hell out of him. Then again, people would probably question why Dark was in Krad's room and that wasn't something Dark wanted to answer. At least, not at the moment.

Dark finished his breakfast as Daisuke came down the stairs. Dark went up to his room, packed away his book and file into his bag and left his room, closing the door. He said goodbye and pulled his shoes, not caring that he was leaving half an hour early. He had to stop by Satoshi's place and get Krad to eat some breakfast. The blond _really_ needed to put some weight on. It surprised Dark had much energy Krad had when he looked like the science room skeleton with latex skin stretched over it. With the running, Dark arrived at Satoshi's mansion in fifteen minutes. He rang the door bell and walked in when Satoshi opened the door, kicking his shoes off.

"Don't worry; I know where Krad's room is."

"And that's what scares me about you, Dark."

Dark walked up the stairs and into Krad's room without knocking, just as the blond was pulling on his shirt. He appeared in front of Dark, hand on the door; ready to close it when he saw who it was that had just barged into his room like they owned it. He frowned slightly and stepped back, quickly doing the buttons up on the shirt and then went over to his vanity, sat down and picked up the hair-drying, getting to work on his hair. Dark watched. He'd never seen Krad preen himself before, so it was something interesting to watch. Ten minutes later, Krad brushed his hair and put it up in a high ponytail, tying a white ribbon around it. He stood, straightened his shirt and pants and looked at Dark, raising an eyebrow.

"What are you doing here?"

"That's the second time today you've asked me that. I'm actually here to make you breakfast." Dark grinned and stepped into the large room, taking Krad's hand and dragging the blond downstairs. He paused, wondering where the kitchen was in that labyrinth when Krad laughed and pulled Dark along into a room that was big enough to fit the kitchen and living room area of Daisuke's place in.

"Are you a good cook?" Krad asked, taking a seat at the breakfast counter.

"Fucked if I know!"

_Oh, god! I'm gonna die!_ Krad's eyes widened with fear as he watched Dark go to the giant fridge, got milk, eggs and bacon. He went back a second time to get strawberries and Krad screamed, taking cover when Dark put it all into the blender, turning it on without putting the lid on. He shouted at Dark to turn it off, not game enough to stand until the whizzing sound stopped. He got to his feet and looked at the mess Dark had made in Satoshi's kitchen. It was going to take _hours_ to clean it.

Krad's hand flew to his mouth when Dark turned around, trying to hide the smile and bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing. Dark looked ridiculous. Bits of bacon, strawberries and egg yolks covered the dunkel engel. The milk stains were going to be a pain to remove but Krad was certain he could do it. He told Dark to strip and go up to his room.

"Krad, I told you! I'm not that kind of man!"

Krad blushed and shook his head. "No, I didn't mean it like that, you pervert!"

Dark removed his shirt and pants, Krad turning away when it became obvious that Dark went commando. "You're the one that wants me naked and in your room."

"I thought you would wear briefs or boxers, like a normal person does! Just, go up there and see if I have anything that might fit you while I clean your uniform and make myself something." Krad might not eat but he knew how to cook and he knew how to use a blender.

Dark went upstairs, smirking at Satoshi as the boy stepped into the hall, ready to head off to school. Satoshi just blinked and went into the kitchen. "What the fuck happened in here?" he demanded, looking at the disaster.

"Dark tried to make me breakfast and tried to use the blender for the first time. It'll be clean before you get home, Satoshi-sama. I need to wash Dark's uniform, though." Krad looked up from the sink and over his shoulder. He was currently washing the blender so he could make himself a strawberry smoothie.

Satoshi shook his head and walked out. "Please don't let him near the kitchen if he intends to cook again. I'll see you when I get home from school, then. That mess is going to take hours to clean."

"I know," Krad said when he heard the front door close.

Dark opened Krad's massive closet, all four doors of it and stared at the clothing. "How the fuck did he get all of this?" Dark didn't want to know and began looking through the shirts and pants. "What the fuck is his fascination with white? What the fuck is my fascination with black?"

_No. No. No. No. No. Too small. _Way_ too small. Wow, that would look sexy on him when he puts a little more weight on. No. No. No. No. Bingo!_ Dark pulled out a pair of black leather pants and looked at the size tag. _Oh fuck me._ He still slipped into them and managed to get the button down up and the zipper. They were uncomfortably tight and looked through Krad's shirts again. He smirked when he pulled out a black, sleeveless fishnet shirt and slipped it on. He looked at himself in the full length mirror beside the vanity and whistled. _I look pretty fucking sexy like this. Damn, I am narcissistic. Oh well._ Dark took a step and cursed. He tried pulling the pants up higher and sighed.

"What good does it do to look sexy if I can't fucking flaunt it?"

"I could've told you those pants would be too small for you, dumbass." Krad walked into his room and looked Dark over. He stood behind the other angel, slipped his fingers into the top of the pants and pulled them up another inch. "Try that."

Dark took a step and grinned. The pants only cut into his thighs but at least it wasn't on something more personal and he could actually walk. "Thanks. How did you do that?"

Krad rolled his eyes and shook his head, grinning. "Well, it's harder to put pants on than it is to take them off."

"Right. The gay thing." Dark frowned slightly. Krad hadn't said anything about how he looked. "Well? What do you think; did I do a good job?"

"You're wearing the clothing that's too big for me, Dark. Like I care how you look." Krad closed three of the four doors to his closet and pulled out a pair of loose white jeans and a three-quarter sleeve button up shirt.

"Come on, Krad! You're gay! I'm like a god to you!" Dark continued to look himself in the mirror but stopped when another movement caught his eyes. Krad was changing, behind him. Dark bit his lip as Krad slipped out of the uniform and stood for a second behind Dark in just a pair of boy panties before he got the jeans and slipped them on. Even with Dark being able to count every bone in Krad's body, it was still a beautiful sight to behold. It ended quickly though and Krad stepped up behind Dark.

"A god? You narcissistic bitch."

Dark turned around and placed his hands on Krad's shoulder, getting dramatic. "Kneel before me and I shall touch you with my gift!" he declared and let his head fall back, staring up at the ceiling.

Krad's eyes went to Dark's crotch and he raised an eyebrow. "I'll bet…"

Dark's head fell forward and he saw what Krad was looking at. "And _you_ call _me_ a pervert?"

"You're the one that wants me to kneel before you!" Krad shot back, a slight pout coming over his lips. Krad's eyes widened when Dark took hold of his wrists.

"Then dance with me, my beautiful partner!" Dark pulled them into a bizarre version of the tango and Krad was powerless to do anything but follow.

"Dark, you're a horrible dancer, too."

Dark stopped and looked at Krad. "You know, the only thing you _haven't_ complained about with me, is my kissing ability."

Krad blushed and remembered he had a mess in the kitchen to attend to. "Well, I need to clean your uniform so you can continue your practice on all the girls at school."

Dark let go of one of Krad's wrists, but held the other as they walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs. "As if. I haven't kissed anyone since I kissed Risa and that was a chore and a half." Dark shuddered at the memory. She wasn't unattractive but she would be a lot more prettier if she just kept her mouth closed.

"Yeah…Um, can I have my wrist back?" Krad asked as they stepped into the kitchen and he picked up the smoothie with his free hand. He was taking a mouthful of the smoothie when Dark decided to professionally twirl him and dip him. Needless to say, the smoothie was over Krad's face, in his hair and dripping to the floor. Plus up his nose.

"Oh shit…" Dark dropped Krad, who fell to the floor with a cry of pain. Dark had been stepping over the blond, slipping in the spilt smoothie and fell back on his rear, his legs over Krad's chest.

"Dark…I'm going to say this once…_Get the fuck out of the kitchen!_"

Dark didn't need anything more than just the glare Krad was giving him to make the dunkel engel get to his feet and hightail it to the living room. He looked around at the furniture and sat on the sofa. It was comfortable, _very_ comfortable. He laid down and kicked his feet up, grinning. He closed his eyes, wondering how long it would take for Krad to get over what Dark had done that morning. He hoped it didn't take long as he wanted to know if the blond could make him lunch. He was already hungry.

* * *

Krad looked at the spotless kitchen and sighed. Four hours, it had taken. Four hours to get every bit of bacon and strawberry from the blinds and off the wall. The hardest part had been cleaning the egg off, which had dried slightly and anyone who's ever had their house egged knows what a pain dry egg could be. Plus Krad had spent an hour in the shower, so it was only three hours to clean and to get all the stains off Dark's uniform, which was hanging up on the outside clothesline. Krad walked into his bedroom, a towel around his head, keeping his hair up and in a silk bathrobe, which really didn't leave much to imagination. He stepped out onto the balcony, expecting the sunshine but screamed and ran back in when he was hit with rain.

_Oh shit! Dark's uniform!_ Krad ran from his room, downstairs, through the kitchen, past the garage and into the laundry. He ripped open the door and ran out; snatching Dark's newly wet uniform off the line before going back inside. Where the hell had that weather come from? When Krad had gone into the shower there was still sunshine. Granted, he could see the clouds were coming over but didn't expect them to hit so soon. He laid Dark's clothing out on the inside line and went back into the house, cold and wet and it didn't help when Dark laughed at him when he walked past the living room.

Krad stepped in and glared at the man. "That was your fault!"

Dark stood and walked over to Krad, circling him. "How was it my fault? You were the one who hung it up outside."

"You were the one who got it dirty."

"Because you're not eating."

"What has that got to do with you dirtying up the kitchen and yourself and then me?" Krad put his hands on his hips.

Dark tried not, he really did, but he couldn't help laughing. Krad looked so feminine with his hair wrapped up in a towel, in a wet, practically see-through, ridiculously short bathrobe and his hands on his hips as he stared at Dark. The only thing missing was the rejuvenating mud-mask and cucumbers over the eyes. Krad blinked as Dark laughed and wondered what the hell was wrong with the other teen.

"You look really cute like that!"

Krad frowned and looked at himself. He gasped and used the towel to cover his virtually exposed body. "Why didn't you say something earlier?" Krad ran upstairs and slammed his door, his heart pounding. He could thank whatever god of deity they worshipped that Dark hadn't seen his wrists. If his timing was correct, he would have another week before it happened all over again and with Dark spending a lot of time around him, Krad wasn't sure what would happen.

Turning on the bedside lamp, Krad groaned when it cut out. The storm clouds darkened his room and Krad was _not_ impressed. It was like night. He went to his closet and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt, towel drying his hair a little more before brushing it and plaiting it. He stepped into the bathroom and felt around for his wristbands. Finding them, he buttoned them up and went into his room. He looked around when lightning flashed and freaked slightly. He stepped out of his room and collided with Dark.

"Oh, god. You're still here?" Krad squealed when there was a slap on his ass and a chuckle from Dark.

"Nice way to talk about your friend!" Dark pushed Krad back into the bedroom and threw himself on the bed. "Well, I couldn't exactly walk home in this weather wearing this kind of outfit. I'd get raped!"

Krad stifled a yawn. That kind of weather always made him tired, for some reason. "And I'm sure you'd complain like that if it were a cute girl."

"Are you okay?"

Krad nodded and sat on the floor beside his bed. "Yeah, just tired. Hey!"

Dark dragged Krad onto the bed and chuckled. "It's your bed, Krad. You don't have to pass out on the floor."

Krad pulled himself free of Dark's arms and got under the covers. He could feel Dark shifting, getting himself comfortable. Like Krad, when that kind of weather rolled around, Dark preferred to just sleep through it. True, he would rather have a cute girl in his arms while it happened but got the feeling Krad would kill him if he were bring a girl into the blond's bed. Dark closed his eyes and listened to the rain and thunder. Every so often, it would go silent and he could hear Krad's breathing and small mutters of something that was probably irrelevant. He fell asleep soon, just enjoying the softness of Krad's bed and gentle scent of vanilla and jasmine.

* * *

_The curtains were being blown into the room by an unknown wind, especially when I could see that outside the snow was falling straight down. I stepped through the large doors. The doors I had gone through many times. I looked out and saw him, Krad. The beautiful blond was standing at the end of the balcony, in white jeans, boots and a sleeveless turtleneck sweater. The same wind that didn't move the snow blew through Krad's hair when he turned. A soft smile greeted me and his lips moved, quietly speaking words that would never reach my ears. There was no noise and words weren't allowed to break that silence, no matter how much I wanted to hear what was being said._

_I took a step forward and the beautiful blond, the one of selflessness and innocence turned into the sadistic and evil counterpart I had come to hate. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. All I could do was stand there, frozen to the spot, staring in horror at the monster. How could I have let that happen? How could I have let Krad down like that? He had called out to me and I have ignored him. Even now, I couldn't bring myself to touch him. He was tainted and I didn't want it to spread to me. The creature's lips curled up into smirk as the wristbands fell to the snow covered floor. It wasn't snow anymore._

_The pure white brilliance was now tainted around the monster. I looked up and saw that the falling snow was no longer falling white. It was all tainted before it could hit the creature and myself. It fell black, like ash. I looked back at the evil being that was meant to be Krad. It was grinning, like a child. In a hand it held a kitchen knife. Its lips spoke the only words I could read, 'This is what you did to me'. My heart pounded in my chest as I watched it stab the knife into Krad's wrist and drag it down along the vein. Crimson mixed with black and I could feel tears falling from my eyes. What had I done? Krad never told me. I had killed the only person who understood me._

_It laughed at my thoughts. The sound was cruel and taunting, like it was daring me to try and save Krad. I had to. I couldn't let him die. I had to save the only person that could save me. But I still couldn't move. I was still shocked in place. There was so much blood. Krad was too tainted for me to save. He had given in and let the monster in him win. There was nothing that I could do to help him, not any more. I had tried to do everything I possibly could and Krad had always told me he was fine, that I shouldn't worry about him because it would give me wrinkles. Seeing him with blood – so much blood – fall from his wrist, I didn't care about wrinkles. I didn't care about my popularity. All I cared about was Krad. I had to hold him._

_The knife switched hands. Only, it wasn't a pale hand that held the weapon, it was mine. My eyes widen with fear as I ran the blade down Krad's scarred wrist. I cried and begged for his forgiveness. I knew he would forgive me; he always did. A black flake landed on his cheek and I brushed it off, smearing his cheek with ash and blood. I kept trying to wipe it off but only put more blood on his beautifully flawless white skin. I _was_ the one that had tainted him. I was responsible for the monster being born inside of him. I was the one who should be dying. Not Krad. He was innocent. I wanted to hold him._

_I wrapped my arms around his body, the knife going through his chest and into his beating heart. A small gasp and I looked down. The monster had abandoned Krad, just like I had. Just like everyone had. He was alone in the world even though he was always surrounded by people. No-one ever heard his cries of anguish and sorrow. If they did, they just ignored him until he locked it away. That was what I had done. I had left him alone to deal with his problems. But not any longer. I was going to heal him. I would remove that monster that had bound itself to his soul. I would make sure he was happy again. I would never let tears of sadness fall from those golden depths._

_He raises a hand. Most of it was covered in his blood. He stared at me with forgiving eyes and I couldn't understand it. How could he forgive me? I was the one who aided his death! I cut his other wrist; I stabbed his heart. His heart didn't matter, I knew. I had broken it before, many times before. I had hurt him, humiliated him and he always forgave him. He seemed to know there was something inside of me that made me want to hurt him. It was gone, now. I only wanted to see him happy. I never wanted him to hurt for me._

_His bloodstained fingertips touched my cheek, tainting me. "Dark…"_

_

* * *

_

Dark's eyes flew open and he released the breath he didn't knew he was holding. He blinked a few times then looked to his left, seeing Krad still sleeping soundlessly. Dark jumped when Krad suddenly hissed and sat up, holding his left wrist. Dark's eyes widened and the dream came back to his mind. The left wrist was the first one the monster had attacked. Dark knew it was probably just a coincidence as Krad was sleeping on his left arm. It was probably just a pain from that.

Dark moved closer to Krad just as the blond bolted from the bed and into the bathroom. Dark went to the door and heard it get locked. _Obviously he doesn't want me in there._ Dark stood outside the door and waited. Twenty minutes in, he was getting nervous, especially considering the faucet was turned on. As he was about to knock on the door, the power was restored to the house and there was a dim light from the nightstand. Dark looked over his shoulder. He blinked when he thought he saw a misty figure standing beside it. He walked to the door of the room and flicked all the lights on, closing his eyes at the sudden brightness.

Krad stepped out of the bathroom and gasped as Dark wrapped his arms around the blond. Krad raised an eyebrow. He shifted slightly and uncomfortably patted Dark on the back. The dunkel engel seemed to be getting really touchy in the last _twenty-four_ _hours_ and it was beginning to scare Krad. Sure, Krad wanted to be friends but that relationship was moving a little too quickly for Krad's liking. He was expecting a few extra lines of dialog between them, not for Dark to start sleeping in his bed and start hugging him when he woke up.

Krad tried to step back but Dark just tightened his grip. "What the fuck, Dark? What _is_ wrong with you?"

Dark looked at Krad's face and saw that he was uncertain. "You woke up in pain and I wanted to give you a friendly hug to make it all better!"

Krad raised an eyebrow. "Oh…Thank you, I guess. Anyway, the power is back on, did you want to stay for dinner?"

Dark shrugged and let go of Krad. "Sure. I need to call Emiko, though and could I have snack in the meantime?" Dark hated going to sleep hungry; it usually made for bizarre dreams.

Krad grinned and stepped around the thief, going downstairs. He glanced at the front door and saw that Satoshi was home and most likely Daisuke was with him. He told Dark to wait in the living room and to not _think_ about going anywhere near the kitchen. Krad bounded up the stairs again and knocked on the owner's door. There was a 'come in' and Krad cracked the door open, sticking his head in. He raised an eyebrow. It all seemed too…too…innocent. Satoshi's face was indifferent but his eyes looked like the cat that ate the canary and Daisuke was blushing like mad, even though Satoshi was at his desk and Daisuke was on the bed.

"I'll be doing a western style dinner tonight. Daisuke, will you be joining us?" When the redhead nodded, Krad grinned again. "Perfect! Does your mother know?"

"Of course. I'll be staying the night and she said she would drop around a little later to bring me and Dark some clothes, if he's staying as well." Daisuke's blush darkened.

Krad's eyes widened. "Oh come on! We were asleep and we were fully clothed!" He slammed the door and stormed downstairs. He stopped at the entrance to the living room and glared at Dark. "Next time I want to pass out on my floor, you let me pass out on my floor!"

Dark's eyebrows rose and he watched Krad leave the entry. _What the hell was _that_ all about?_ As far as Dark knew, he had behaved himself while they were asleep. An arm might have struck out and hit the blond but Krad couldn't possibly hold Dark accountable for that. He was asleep after all and he didn't have control over his body. And if he had done something like that, Krad would've grilled him for when he knew Dark was awake, not forty minutes later. With a sigh, Dark got up and went into the kitchen, sitting at the breakfast counter, watching as Krad got his snack together.

"What did I do, Krad?"

"It's not what you did, it's what Satoshi and Daisuke thought when they saw us." Krad finished the club sandwich, put it on a plate, cut it and placed it in front of Dark. "Because you wouldn't let me pass out on the floor."

Dark looked at the sandwich then glanced at Krad. "Why don't you have some of this as well, Krad?" His ears twitched at what Krad said. "They thought we had done something?" he asked, taking a huge bite of the sandwich.

"I assume so." Krad turned the oven on and went to the fridge, pulling out two lamb racks. He got to work on seasoning them.

"Krad, this sandwich is awesome! Come on, have a bite! You promised me you would start eating." Dark gave the angelic devil a small pout when the blond faced him.

"I never promised that. Besides, my hands are cover with oil, garlic, rosemary and salt."

"In my mind you promised it, therefore, it's a promise and you're not going to break this one." Dark stood and went over to Krad, offering him a bite of the sandwich.

Krad looked at it and blushed. He didn't know why he was blushing but the thought of leaning that close to Dark; opening his mouth…It really wasn't the best place for his mind to wander to, especially considering every second he stared at the half eaten sandwich his blush darkened. Thankfully, the phone rang and Krad washed his hands and answered it.

"Hiwatari residence," he said.

"Krad?"

"Yes?"

"This is your teacher, Mr. Ito. I was calling to ask why you weren't in school today."

Dark watched his new friend and frowned slightly at the frozen look on the blond's face. He heard Krad say something about being sick and wouldn't be able to attend tomorrow, either. Dark blinked. Why would Krad be lying to someone about school? It was obvious he was every teacher's favorite, simply because of his intelligence, especially that sadistic science teacher. Dark shuddered at the memory of that prick smiling at Krad. It was disgusting at best, like he was undressing Krad with his eyes.

"A test tomorrow? I'm sure I can come in after school and take it. No, Dark is also sick. I'm not sure if he will be there to take the test. If he isn't, would you like me to bring him with me?"

Dark stood beside Krad, trying to hear what was being said on the other end. Krad turned away from him. Dark wasn't going to be ignored like that! He was the Phantom Thief! He held the sandwich in front of Krad's mouth, remembering the way the blond had blushed earlier. He was hoping for the same reaction, but Krad pushed it away and told whichever teacher was on the other end that he had go and hung up.

"Dark, please don't do that again." Krad went back to finishing the preparations for dinner. He put the lamb in a tray and put it in the oven, getting to work on peeling potatoes, carrots and pumpkin.

"That was that creep, Ito, wasn't it? What's he doing calling for you?" Dark sat down again, losing his appetite.

"He just wanted to know why I – we weren't in school today. We have a test tomorrow, so if you're attending, I suggest you actually study for it. He's already gotten it in his head that you're going to fail." Krad rinsed off the vegetables and began cutting them into smaller pieces.

"No," Dark said slowly, "I'll go in with you after school." Dark rolled his shoulders. He didn't want to leave Krad alone with that teacher, for both of their sake. Krad could easily kill the bastard if he tried anything and the teacher could easily hold Krad's grades as leverage to get anything he wanted. Dark wasn't going to allow that.

* * *

End Chapter I.

Dear god! I didn't realize I got so carried away with it! I send out so many special thanks to Danaeyl Panthernopaeus who is doing all the dream sequences in this story, because he knows how to make them twisted and stuff! So, please review and I will have chapter two up as quickly as possible!

Also, I'm looking for a beta. If you think you're interested, please send me a PM!


	2. Gemini Lotus II

**~Gemini Lotus~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

**Special Guest Star:** Danaeyl Panthernopaeus.

* * *

Dark was woken by a ridiculously loud clap of thunder that sounded right over the mansion. He yawned and went to stretch but froze. He was in Krad's bed, he remembered that much. He remembered the screaming and fighting that had happened before they had gone to bed because Krad had forgotten that Emiko had shown, with clothes for Daisuke but none for Dark because she couldn't find any clean clothes of Dark's and Dark had no problem sleeping in the nude. Krad, on the other hand, had a huge problem with it. The argument had gone on for half an hour before Daisuke and Satoshi stepped in, fearing that fists might start flying. And while Krad was obviously the weaker of the two, Satoshi knew his will to beat Dark into nothing but a bloody smear would keep the blond going. In the end, Daisuke had suggested that Dark wear something of Krad's. Dark wouldn't have had a problem with that but he remembered the leather pants and the wonderful feeling of removing them. He wasn't going to wear any of Krad's silk undergarments. It would just be weird and maybe a little sexy. Dark had quickly stopped that train of thought when Krad threw a pair of black silk boxers at him. That had solved that fight. It was only one of the four that took place that night at the Hiwatari Mansion.

The first fight had taken place at the dinner table. Krad had set up such a succulent meal and didn't even bother trying to eat. Dark had tried to force some of the meat down Krad's throat when the blond made a mention of being vegetarian. Dark had quickly apologized for what he tried to do and went back at the blond with a potato. Daisuke and Satoshi ignored it for as long as they could, until it spilled over to their side of the table, which forced them to pick up their plates and finish eating while standing. They had both heard some words that made them blush and some words they wouldn't ever dare to repeat in public. There had been a lot of threats that were slung around and some of them, _especially_ some of Krad's, had made both boys flinch at the very idea of them. The two boys had to break that one up and sent Dark and Krad to opposite ends of the house.

The second fight broke out in the living room, while Krad was trying to tutor Dark for the test the next day. That one had been relatively small compared to the dinner one and it didn't take long for Daisuke, of all people, to pull Dark off of Krad. The purple haired teen had a murderous look in his eyes and thankfully Dark usually paid attention when food was mentioned. Krad, unfortunately, didn't get out of the physical attack without a scratch. He had a shiner that appeared nicely and began bleeding from his left wrist, the one that Dark was holding. Of course, as soon as Dark saw the blood, he eased up and that was when Daisuke had stepped in. Krad had fled to his bathroom and returned, continuing on with the tutor lesson. When Dark had found out that the test was going to focus mainly on chemistry, he told the angelic demon that the lesson was over. Dark might not understand science but he knew chemistry.

The third fight had erupted in the bedroom, like the fourth one did. Well, actually, the third and fourth fight rolled into the one giant one. Krad had walked into his bedroom from the en suite and saw a naked Dark sprawled over his bed, reading a story. A story that Krad had written within the first week of having his own body. A story that wasn't intended for children and he had hidden, very well. So well that Krad had forgotten about it and had no idea where Dark could've found it. That was the spark. Dark's nakedness was the flame and sleeping together was the explosion. The only reason it took half an hour for Daisuke and Satoshi to step in and resolve the matter was because they were scared. There was such anger between the two of them as they shouted at each other, that the boys figured if they were to walk into that while it was so heated, they could be hurt. That and they were trying to get over the fact that Krad was able to keep a straight face, arguing with Dark while the other was shouting back at him in his birthday suit, even if that was the reason behind the yelling and cursing. How could someone take an argument seriously if the other half of said argument was naked?

There was another deafening clap of thunder and a squeak of fear. Dark looked down at his chest when he felt the arms around his waist tighten. Krad was clinging to him. Wait…Krad was clinging to Dark? After the demonstration the blond had showed about all his pent up anger towards Dark, he was now cuddling Dark like it was going out of fashion? Another clap of thunder, a flinch and manicured nails were dug into his exposed ribs, making Dark hiss slightly at the pain. _Is Krad scared of thunderstorms?_ Dark asked himself. It would explain why Krad was hugging him so tightly or why Krad was even _touching_ him after the fights that broke out that night.

It was amazing that Krad had agreed to let Dark sleep in his bed. Surely there were other rooms that Krad could've kicked Dark into but the blond didn't even mention that. It seemed that Krad was more than happy to forgive and forget. Dark wasn't going to bring up the fights ever again and was trying his hardest to forget them. He knew he wouldn't be able to forget the one in the living room. He couldn't actually remember what had sparked that fight but whatever it was, it had hit something in Dark. Something that Krad usually threw in his face but that night, it had seemed more personal and Dark had just snapped. He never wanted to physically attack Krad as their words were more potent than their attacks as they were used to them. It had struck Dark has odd when Krad seemed more concerned about the bleeding. On the other hand, who wouldn't be?

Dark shifted slightly and winced as the nails only dug in deeper. He placed a hand on Krad's head and soothingly stroked the golden mass of hair. Krad's fingers relaxed and the blond removed his nails from Dark's skin and Dark smiled. He knew Krad had fallen asleep again and that was all he needed. He glanced at Krad's bedside chest when the lamp flicked on. _Must be faulty wiring,_ Dark thought as he reached over and turned the lamp off. He settled down and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply taking in the scent of vanilla and jasmine. He figured it must be the soap or shampoo that Krad used as it was over everything the blond touched. It was a nice scent and Dark found himself thinking he could get used to it, if he were to ever go bisexual and hook up with Krad.

Dark woke but didn't open his eyes when heard someone moan softly beside him. It was a nice sound and he knew it belonged to Krad but with his eyes closed, Dark could imagine anyone he wanted. Dark thought about his perfect girl. Long hair, she would have to have at least waist length hair. Pale skin that looked creamy and was extremely soft. Almond shaped eyes, like his own and Krad's and preferably gold, like Krad's. When the girl turned around, Dark groaned. He just envisioned Krad, completely. There were no girly parts for the dunkel engel to play with, nothing. It was just Krad.

Krad sat up and looked around. He couldn't believe how bad the weather still was. He was seriously considering telling Satoshi he couldn't go to school as he was scared there would be a hurricane. Krad shook his head and stood. He wandered into the bathroom and had a quick, hot shower. He poked his head through the door and saw that Dark was still asleep. He stepped into his room with the towel around his waist as he opened the second door of the closet, pulling on a pair of white jeans and a long sleeved turtle neck sweater. He just hoped that Dark didn't make a mess of him again and left his bedroom, going downstairs to get breakfast ready. He could hear Satoshi's alarm blaring from down the hall and smirked. Sometimes he and Satoshi were as bad as each other, though no one would pick up on it.

With Krad gone, Dark shuddered and pulled the covers up more. There was a cold breeze coming in through the large balcony doors and seeing as he wasn't going to school that day, he was going to sleep in as long as possible. He opened one eye when he heard something being dropped on the vanity. With a frown, Dark got up and walked over to the unit, looking at the lip balm that was rolling around. _What the fuck is going on around here?_ Dark questioned, feeling fear quicken his heart beat. He could seal evil Hikari artworks but dealing with a spirit? That scared him? _This place can't be haunted. Satoshi would've said something to Daisuke by now._ Dark picked up the lip balm and placed it upright, turning away and heading back to the bed. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the covers, sheets and pillows had ripped from the bed and strewn across the room.

Dark picked up the bedding and made the bed, going downstairs. He saw Krad happily making breakfast for everyone. Dark could feel himself smiling as he sat down at the breakfast counter. The sweet smells of food filling his senses and his stomach growled. Dark watched as Krad made himself a strawberry smoothie and cleaned the blender. _So that's how you use it!_ Dark wondered how he was able to get the metabolism of an insect and Krad got one of a koala. It seemed that Dark couldn't stop eating and Krad didn't need to eat but Dark wanted to desperately change that. Krad could look much more beautiful with a little weight on his bones.

"Good morning, Dark!" Krad greeted chirpily when he turned around.

"Morning," Dark mumbled, not too sure if it was a good one. He had been woken by the storm and couldn't get back to sleep because of a ghost. Dark was about to ask about it when a plate was put in front of him. Bacon, eggs, toast, sausage, mushrooms and onions. It looked delicious and Dark completely forgot about everything except for eating.

Krad laughed as he watched Dark eat. It reminded of him that one time he was in a café and saw a three-year-old eating. "I'm glad you like it! I'm going to get Satoshi and Daisuke up." Krad left the kitchen, stopping when Dark called out to him.

Dark didn't really want to be alone in the mansion without Krad around him. "Hold up, I'll come with ya."

Krad frowned slightly but smiled and nodded. He was expecting Dark to stay in the kitchen and eat Satoshi's and Daisuke's portion of breakfast as well. It was a little strange that Dark wanted to go with him while he woke the boys up but whatever made the thief happy. Krad really didn't want another fight like the ones last night to break out, especially not first thing in the morning when Dark still looked like he was half dead. Together, the two angels headed upstairs. Dark hung back while Krad knocked on Satoshi's door and opened it, sticking his head in. The blond walked in and Dark laughed when he heard Krad's shrill voice.

"Get up now, both of you! I will have no problem hosing the pair of you if you are not up, dressed and downstairs in eight minutes!" Krad walked out of the room, closing the door loudly.

Dark followed Krad back into the kitchen, still laughing. He had no doubt that Krad would do that just to make sure they weren't late for school. He froze as he smelt something burning. They ran into the kitchen and Krad shut off the burners, opening the kitchen windows to vent the smoke. They coughed slightly at the black smoke and Krad tried to figure out how it could've happened. He knew he had taken everything off the stove and turned all the burners off. Maybe he hadn't. Krad didn't know anymore. It wasn't the first time he had to redo breakfast because he forgot to turn the stove off and take the pans off.

Dark looked at where his plate should've been. He heard Krad curse and looked over at the fridge, seeing the broken plate and whatever food that was left on the floor. There were a few drops of blood from Krad's foot where a sharp edge of the porcelain had cut the blond. Dark went into the laundry and returned with the dustpan and broom. He swept up the mess and threw it out, helping Krad over to the counter and onto it. He looked at the small wound and grinned.

"It's nothing to worry about. It should stop bleeding in a couple of minutes."

"Thanks." Krad smiled and picked up his smoothie, taking a mouthful only to spit it back into the glass and pour it down the sink. "Gross!"

"What's wrong?" Dark asked as he pressed some paper towel to Krad's foot. He looked into the glass when Krad held it out for him to look at. "What about it?"

"That's salt." Krad shuddered and rinsed the glass out as best he could without moving.

Daisuke and Satoshi walked in and Satoshi raised an eyebrow. "You wanted us down here so you could show us Dark kissing your foot?"

Krad glared at his former host. "No! I did have breakfast ready but I must have forgotten to turn the stove off and it got burnt."

Daisuke shifted, frowning slightly. "What happened to your foot?"

"I cut it on a piece of broken plate." Krad didn't know what was going on but didn't want to seem insane by claiming that the mansion was haunted. Only Krad knew it wasn't haunted, not by a spirit and it wasn't the house. It was Krad. He was the one that was haunted.

"Ah, the bleeding stopped! Can I get a Band-Aid or something? I don't want this guy bleeding all over the white carpet in the room," Dark said, like he was living there. Krad and Satoshi raised an eyebrow at that statement and Dark didn't feel so safe anymore.

"Did you want to move in, Dark? I'm sure Krad would _love_ sharing his bedroom with you."

Krad glared at Satoshi. "What the hell are you plotting, you little imp?" he demanded in a way that reminded Daisuke and Dark of their relationship, brothers. And Satoshi did look like a cheeky younger brother, who was trying to embarrass his older brother in front of the date that had taken him months to snag.

Satoshi shook his head and went to the pantry, pulling out a box of cereal, putting it on the breakfast counter as he got two bowls, spoons and the milk from the fridge. He gestured to Daisuke to take a seat so they could have breakfast. Granted, it wasn't the grand meal Krad would've prepared for them but it would have to do until they got to school.

"Seriously, I need a Bad-Aid."

Krad sighed. "Go past the living room, turn towards the stairs and it's the third door on the left down that hall."

Daisuke glanced at Krad and noticed that he wasn't dressed. "Aren't you coming to school today, Krad?"

Krad shook his head. "No, Dark and I are sick, if anyone asks." Krad turned his gold eyes to Satoshi. "_Don't'_ even go there."

Satoshi shrugged and continued to eat his cereal. When he was done, he went upstairs to brush his teeth and pack up all of Daisuke's belongings. Emiko had said Daisuke could spend the night again but with the weird happenings going on, Satoshi wanted his friend as far from the danger as possible. Especially if Dark was to spend the night again.

When Satoshi went back downstairs, Daisuke was pulling his shoes on at the front door; while Krad made sure he had everything he would need for school. For some reason, Satoshi got a mental image of Krad in a dress. Probably because Satoshi found his former curse to be acting very motherly. He heard a snicker behind him and saw Dark at the top of the stairs, watching as well. Satoshi had no doubt that Dark had gotten the same image as he had but neither of them were game enough to mention it to Krad, out of fear of what he _could_ do.

"Satoshi, would you be able to bring my homework home for me? Do you have your completed homework from last night with you? Do you have the lunch I made? Daisuke, do you have your lunch as well?" Krad crouched and helped Daisuke with his shoes, since the redhead seemed to having a hard time concentrating for some reason.

"I'm pretty sure I have my lunch, Oka…Krad!"

Krad nodded and stood. "You as well, Satoshi?" The blue haired boy nodded and pulled his shoes on, grabbed his umbrella and stepped out into the storm. "Be careful, both of you! If there's a weather warning, I'm coming to pick you up!" Krad called to the boys as they filed into the car, waving before the door was closed. Krad stood in the threshold, watching as the car drove off. He stepped inside and closed the door, turned and found a smirking Dark behind him. "What are you smirking about?"

"You. I didn't think you could act motherly but, boy, did you prove me wrong." Dark walked into the living room and threw himself down on the comfy sofa, turning the television on.

Krad went into the kitchen to clean up the mess he had made with the breakfast pans. He hummed to himself as he washed the last bowl and rinsed it off. He was wiping down the counters when a clutter made him spin around. He saw a kitchen knife on the counter and walked over to it. He picked it up and looked at his reflection. It was him only he was smirking and had that evil glint in his eye. The glint that disappeared after being sealed away and then being released to have his own body. A look that Krad couldn't remember pulling for the last three months. A look that Krad hated seeing in his eyes because it reminded him of a time he would rather forget. A time where all he wanted was to kill Dark and take his anger and pain out on the thief. Krad replaced the knife in the block and sniffed, wiping his tears away before they could fall.

Dark lent against the frame of the door to the kitchen, watching Krad. He had gone there because he thought he saw Krad walk past the living room entrance again, heading towards the kitchen. It had been out of the corner of his peripheral vision but there was no mistaking Krad's white clothing and gold hair. He had gone down the hall and just assumed it went to the kitchen and that was when he saw Krad with the knife, staring at it like it was some sort of demon. Krad didn't even seem aware of his presence and Dark wasn't going to make it known. He left the doorway and went back to the living room, watching the news as the reporter said something about a severe weather warning for that time of year.

"Did I hear 'severe weather warning'?" Krad asked suddenly, making Dark jump.

"How the hell did you hear that? I've been asking for a snack for the last fifteen minutes but as soon as 'severe weather warning' is uttered, you're down here in two seconds! But yeah, there's a severe weather warning for this time of year. And when you think about it, we're only going into the second month of autumn. Where did this weather come from?" Dark got to his feet. "Well, we better go pick the boys up, _dear_."

Krad smiled and forced himself to blush a little, while in his mind he had killed Dark four different ways. "Yeah, we better. Do we wait for the chauffeur or do we walk?" Krad went to the living room window and pulled back the curtain. "Oh! Never mind, here he is now. Come on!"

Dark let Krad grab his wrist and drag him to the front of the house where they put their shoes on. The blond grabbed his umbrella and they hurried over to the car, where the chauffeur had the door open and waiting for them. He said he heard the same warning on the radio and hurried back as quickly as possible. When inside the car, Krad used the phone in there to call the school and let them know he was showing up to collect Satoshi and Daisuke. Dark watched as worry played over Krad's face and smiled to himself. It was so different from when Krad just used to use Satoshi's body as a means to an end and now he was genuinely concerned for the boy.

They arrived at the school minutes later and Krad didn't wait for Dark, got the umbrella and ran out of the car. Dark followed but got fourteen steps when he remembered something. He was still in Krad's boxers, in the pouring rain, standing outside of a school. He went back to the car and made a mental note to kill Krad for not telling him to get dressed before they left. Dark shifted and looked around the spacious car, hoping to find something to pass the time. He found nothing, not even a bottle of alcohol to read and possibly drink. He didn't have to wait too much longer as the car door opened and Satoshi, Daisuke and finally Krad got in. The two boys stared at the ex-thief before Daisuke laughed and even Satoshi looked amused by the still dripping Dark in a pair of boxers.

"I'm sorry, Daisuke, did you want to live to see sixteen?" Dark glared at the redhead. "Ow!" He rubbed the back of his head where Krad slapped him.

"Don't threaten him like that and it was your own fault for not getting dressed when you woke up, _honey_." Krad shivered slightly and ruffled his fringe a little.

Dark pouted a little. "Well, you could have said something before the car arrived!"

"Oh for the love of fuck!" Krad pulled his sweater off and threw it at Dark. "Will you shut up now?"

Dark pulled the clothing on and sighed happily, enjoying the warmth. "Yeah, I think I will now." Dark inhaled the scent of vanilla and jasmine and glanced at Krad, who was staring out the window wistfully. The blond teen wasn't wearing a shirt beneath the sweater and Daisuke was still having a hard time removing his eyes from Krad's exposed body. Satoshi didn't seem phased by it and Dark guessed that was because the stoic teen had seen Krad without a shirt before.

Dark fidgeted as he looked at Krad. It wasn't the lack of fat and muscle but there was something else, something to do with the studded wristbands that Krad always wore. They were beginning to annoy Dark, simply because he knew the blond was hiding something beneath them. If those nightmares he had been having were anything to go on…Actually, Dark had no idea what those dreams were meant to mean. They were just creepy and queer. Dark would be grateful if he could go another night without having any more dreams like that. As it was, he was already spending too much time around Krad and maybe that was the reason behind the dreams.

Dark honestly couldn't remember the last time he had a nightmare, at least not one that had scared him awake like the dream of him killing Krad had. Dark lowered his eyes thoughtfully, not realizing he was staring at the wristbands until Krad moved his arm, getting ready to get out of the car as it came to a stop. The blond let the two boys through first, telling them to go straight into the house. Krad opened the umbrella and stepped out, waiting for Dark, who took his time. Krad didn't seem to get impatient, though, something that Dark was expecting. Again, there was a lot that had happened just that morning that Dark wasn't expecting so for Krad to patiently wait for him should be considered normal.

They got into the house just as Daisuke and Satoshi were heading upstairs. "Daisuke! You call your mother and let her know where you are." Daisuke called down that he would but didn't stop. Krad shook his head and smiled, heading up to his room to get another sweatshirt. He stopped when he saw the polished white third door of his closet. For some reason, Krad had a thing about red lipstick and he didn't know why. He never wore it and had never thought about wearing it. He just liked having it around. Krad tutted as he looked the word that was scrawled there, 'MONSTER'. "Oh, you've got to be shitting me! That's going to take forever to clean!"

Dark looked around the empty foyer and shifted. He felt unsafe being alone but it seemed that Krad was going to take longer than expected, so Dark wandered into the living room and sat on the sofa again, watching some crappy soap opera that was on. Dark smiled slightly as he thought about Krad. If he kept that up, he could have Krad healthy again in no time. He could even enroll Krad into some self-defense course so the blond could find a healthy way of venting his anger. First things first, though: getting Krad to eat at least three times a day. Dark thought. Krad was vegetarian, so that left out getting him to eat cheeseburgers. _Nuts!_ Dark came up with triumphantly. _Nuts have a high fat content and he won't be killing any innocent animals!_ Dark grinned to himself as he went into the kitchen and stopped dead, seeing an old man in a suit. His gray hair was combed back and he looked very presentable. Dark, naturally, handled the situation like a professional.

"Holy shit! Shouldn't you be in a crypt somewhere, old timer?" The old man turned around and Dark raised an eyebrow. "Daiki? What are you doing here?"

"I just came to make sure the Hikari wasn't causing any trouble."

"Uh-huh. So why do you have a tub of ice-cream in front of you and a spoon in your hand?"

Daiki looked at the spoon. "Because Emiko decided I should go on a diet!"

"And you're at the Hiwatari Mansion to eat ice-cream because…?"

"Because I said it was fine for him to do it. Satoshi doesn't eat cookies and cream and I only like strawberry," Krad answered as he stepped into the kitchen, a ratty looking hoodie covering up his bones. "He also came over to bring you some clean clothes so you can finally stop flaunting your body in my boxers and so you'll stop stretching everything I own, too."

"Not my fault." Dark picked up the bag that Daiki offered and ran out of the kitchen up to Krad's bedroom.

"I thought he was naked under that shirt," Daiki said, taking another spoonful of ice-cream.

Krad laughed and went into the pantry, getting a bag of almonds. He sat at the breakfast counter and looked at the older gentleman. "Thank you for bringing his clothes over. Though I suspect he won't be staying the night again."

Daiki stood on the other side of the counter with the ice-cream. "Please make him stay. Even I'm staying with a friend so Emiko and Kosuke can have the house to themselves."

Krad stroked the cross that was on the collar and nodded. "Okay. I'll see if I can bribe him a meal of his choice." Krad ate a couple of almonds and grinned at the older Niwa.

* * *

The plan hadn't gone better than Krad had expected. In fact, it was a failed attempt. Daiki had left twenty minutes later and Krad had called the school to inform Mr. Ito that he and Dark wouldn't be able to get there to take the test. He sounded disappointed but Krad didn't care. He and Dark actually didn't need school. As much as Dark liked to act as if he was a moron, Krad had known him long enough to know Dark was nearly as intelligent as Krad was. Mr. Ito had said something about them failing the test but Krad hadn't been paying attention because Dark entered the kitchen in _tight_ black jeans and a loose black button up shirt that showed off his chest. For once, Krad actually felt underdressed next to Dark. Krad had hung up the phone while Ito was mid-sentence, still staring at Dark.

Dark had snapped Krad out of his trance with a snide comment and Krad quickly glared at the thief. He asked Dark if he wanted to stay another night and like Krad had assumed, Dark declined. Krad then resorted to bribing him and even then Dark declined, saying that he missed sleeping in his bed. Krad didn't have to know that was a lie. Truth of the matter was Dark didn't want to be around Krad in case he did something that would make Krad kill him or worse yet, hurt Krad to the point of suicide. Dark also didn't want to be away from the blond and was caught in a catch twenty-two. His hormones were playing up and it was worse than when Daisuke got horny to change into Dark.

Krad had then tried to use the weather to his advantage and was shot down. Apparently, Dark was such a master flier, he could use the raging wind to his advantage and get home quicker. Krad was running out of ideas but finally managed to think of one that even Dark wouldn't be able to refuse. He offered the thief a massage if he stayed the night. Dark really considered it, too. It had been a long while since he last had a decent massage and he knew Krad was brilliant with them. However, that could lead to something that Dark didn't want to happen if he got too excited about the massage. In the end, he still declined and asked Krad why he was so bent on having him stay another night.

Krad's eyes widened at the question and he choked on a few words before finally stammering out, "I-I'm not. I just thought that maybe if you…were…around…that maybe we could…"

_Say it! Don't say it! Say it! Don't say it!_ Dark waited as patiently as he could for Krad to get some courage together and finish what he was saying. Krad bit his lower lip and Dark really just wanted to reach over and pull it from between the blond's teeth and scold him for it. _Say it!_ Dark's mind had already come to a conclusion and it was about to be sorely disappointed.

"…work on our friendship. Yeah! You know, set up boundaries and things like that and maybe you could teach me what a 'boundary' is." Krad grinned and Dark sighed. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No. I was just expecting something else, that's all." Dark smirked and Krad blushed. "Yep, even you were thinking it."

"Dark, you're such a pervert at times and I thought you weren't that kind of man?" Krad sat down at the breakfast counter and continued to eat the almonds, paying little attention as Dark leaned over his shoulder.

"I'm a god to you and your community, remember? Of course my mind would go there with you _begging_ me to stay the night."

Krad spun around in the stool and glared at Dark. "I was not begging!"

Dark smirked and dipped his head to Krad's throat. "But I bet you want to be," he teased, moving the collar down to lick the skin, only he froze.

Krad pushed the thief away and got to his feet, staring at the man like he had just tried to murder him. "Don't you _ever_ do that again," he threatened, fixing the collar. He had been wearing the collar for the last month and had only just put the cross on it, seeing as the cross looked a lot better before his hair was cut and just like the wristbands, the collar was protecting something Krad didn't want the rest of the world to see or know about.

Dark reached out to place a hand on Krad's cheek but the blond slapped it away and Dark sighed when he walked from the room, head lowered. Dark didn't know that Krad was hiding something beneath the collar but it also explains it. The collar itself was at least an inch and a half thick, white leather, with white and black lace framing the top and bottom. It was very feminine but at the same time, something Krad would wear, even if he wasn't trying to hide the scars around his neck. The thief didn't know if Satoshi knew about them but assumed the boy didn't. It seemed evident that Krad was keeping it from everyone, no matter what his relationship status was like with them.

That was why Dark didn't want to spend another night with Krad. He had involuntarily hurt the blond with harmless flirting. In a way, it didn't help that Dark didn't know a thing about Krad, except that he went evil and still holds a lot of pent up anger towards the thief. _I wish I knew what happened to him._ Dark blinked. Why did he really care what had happened to Krad? _Is this what its like to have a friend?_ Dark couldn't really say that he knew much about having friends. The closest friend he'd ever had was Krad, even when the blond went evil. Dark really couldn't friend the people that were being stalked by his tamers; that would just be weird. But Krad had to snap out of it and Dark was going to make sure the blond did, before he did kill himself.

Going upstairs, Dark decided it would be best if Krad told Satoshi what the blunette didn't know. After all, it wasn't his place to tell everyone who would listen that Krad is suicidal or was. Still, the not eating could be another attempt. Dark didn't know what it felt like to be alone in the world, to be considered a demon and a curse. He knew he had no idea what Krad was going through but friends were there for each other, right? Daisuke was always there for Satoshi. Dark paused at Krad's bedroom door. What was he going to say or do? Pushing the handle down, Dark decided he would wing it.

"Look, Krad, I don't know what's going on or –" Dark's eyes widened comically. He couldn't move and he didn't want to. He stared. That's all he could do.

Krad was standing in front of his enormous closet, naked. That was the first time Dark had ever seen Krad naked and he liked it. He could imagine how much more beautiful that lithe frame would look when Krad began eating correctly. Of course, Dark only got to enjoy the view for a few seconds before he got a white boot to his face.

"Get the fuck out of my room, you pervert!" Krad literally shrieked, giving Dark his best death glare.

Dark went to apologize but thought better of it and just left the room, closing the door. His mind was still whirling as images filled it. Images that Dark didn't think were possible to have about any other male. It had to be Krad in all of them. His body was perfect for the positions Dark was thinking of and that's when he realized he was thinking something about Krad that he shouldn't be. It was wrong to think of a person, who was the other half of him, in that way. Dark knew it but he didn't care. He didn't care if Krad knew what he was thinking about the blond. Well, that last part, maybe. It depended on if Krad would kill him. Dark shook his head. That wasn't helping. He was straight and he'd had plenty of one night stands to prove it.

Dark bent and picked up the boot that had fallen out of the room after it got acquainted with his face. It was just a plain white leather ankle boot with a flat heel. The door opened and Dark looked up. Krad looked a little ashamed and shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry about the boot and for the way I reacted," he said softly and Dark grinned.

"Emiko always said that I lacked the ability to learn 'knock before entering'," he joked. "Oh, speaking of Emiko, I should probably get ready to head home!"

Krad stepped to the side so that Dark could get the bag that Daiki had brought over. He wasn't going to try and stop the thief; it was obvious he didn't want stay another night. Krad felt he was to blame for that, considering he had started three of the four fights. Or was it half of them? If Dark hadn't been reading that story, the third fight wouldn't have happened but the fourth one would've. Krad took a deep breath and walked into his room, putting the boot with its twin. Krad turned to the balcony doors when Dark said 'goodbye' and Krad gave a tight smile and waved slightly. He sat down on his bed and sighed heavily. He knew that going to school would only complicate things. Before their friendship had even started, Krad felt as though it was over.

_Why would Dark even think I was suicidal? Satoshi doesn't even know._ Krad drew his knees to his chest as he thought about the night before last. It had been so peculiar for Dark to randomly show up and change his tone from worrying about his reputation to worrying about Krad and the blond couldn't understand it. Whichever way he looked at it, Krad was left feeling more perplexed than ever. Krad undid the wristbands and looked at the scars that ran down his arms. He actually wasn't suicidal but anyone that looked at his arms would say differently. Krad could handle being called an emotional cutter but he would never be able to handle being called suicidal.

Krad unwrapped the bandage that was around his left wrist and removed the gauze that covered the cut that had appeared the day before. It was the first time, ever, that Krad had woken with a wound. He usually became unconscious when the wounds were being done to him. True, that meant that Krad would wake to new wounds but he at least knew how he got them. Krad didn't even know how the fresh one on his left wrist could have happened. He hadn't been around anything sharp and he doubted that Dark would've done something like that. Krad sighed and wrapped the wound again before it could start bleeding for a third time. Thankfully, with getting his own body Krad only had to worry about the scars he had put on it. All the scars from the past were gone and Krad was grateful. He didn't want to explain anything to anyone, except maybe Dark but the thief seemed to be dealing with his own problems at the moment and Krad didn't want to be a hindrance.

Krad put the wristbands back on and laid down, curling up in the fetal position. Krad wasn't one to complain about life being unfair as he liked to pay his dues and move on but there were times when sometimes just feeling sorry for oneself was the best way to get through the day. Krad hadn't done anything like that since he finished that story, which was more like a diary. That was one of the main reasons why he had blown up at Dark for reading it. The thief didn't have the slightest idea and Krad wanted to tell Dark when he was ready, one day when they were close enough. That day seemed like a pinprick on the horizon to the blond, at that moment in time. There was a hiccupping sob and a sinister chuckle.

* * *

Dark honestly didn't care what Emiko and Kosuke were doing. He was too wrapped up in his thoughts to hear anything. The dunkel engel was pacing around his room, which he was sure was annoying the two lovebirds downstairs but he didn't care. When he thought deeply about something, he had to pace. It was just a bad habit he picked up from someone and over time, Dark had found it helped. It helped to pump the blood more which stimulated the brain more. Dark paused for a moment and pulled out the notebook he had been reading the previous night when Krad had gone off at him.

Dark had no idea why he had taken the notebook. He knew what the story was about. A young boy remembering everything of his past lives and how the hardships carried on to each form. It was basically Krad's life story and Dark just wanted to know more about the blond and what made him so demonic. Dark had only been able to decipher barely a quarter of the story. It didn't help that Krad had written it in Russian and Dark had to wonder when Krad learnt that language. One of Dark's former tamers had been fluent in Russian but Dark had forgotten almost everything he knew about the language. It appeared that Krad's memory was a lot better. Dark knew it was. The blond always remembered everything. It seemed impossible for Krad to forget anything and in a way; Dark knew that was both a blessing and a curse.

The only part Dark had been able to translate was the last year of Krad's life. Dark already knew everything about it, well; he liked to claim he did. But it was written completely different and Dark found he was feeling pity towards how badly he continued to beat Krad and that just confused Dark. The last three days of knowing Krad and Dark had found himself getting more and more confused everyday he knew the blond angel. He was like a ping-pong ball. His brain was telling him one thing and his heart was trying to tell him something else. Both of them agreed on one thing, though, they had to help Krad and it had to be done soon. The blond was a ticking bomb of emotions that he didn't know what to do with. _'Work on our friendship.'_ The words rang through Dark's head and he went back to pacing, flipping through the pages of the notebook.

Dark noticed something he hadn't seen the night before. On some of the pages there were circular spots where the paper was wrinkled and Dark assumed they were from where Krad's tears had fallen. Dark couldn't imagine Krad crying, even with the way he was. Krad had always thought that crying was such a weak emotion of a mortal and that it served no purpose. Dark stopped and tried to remember the very first host of his. The Hikari artworks weren't that bad back then. They seemed to change with Krad; the more evil he got the more evil the arts did. When Krad did turn evil, the one thing he feared most was becoming human and having to deal with the petty things, like emotions. Of course, Krad never said that but Dark just knew and it was written in the book. Dark did feel like he was prying into Krad's life without permission but the blond would just take too long and Dark never was the patient type. He ran his fingers over one of the spots where a tear had fallen.

_Tears of fear,_ Dark thought solemnly. _He's just become the one thing he was scared of the most; mortal. Is that why he wrote the book?_ Dark flipped back to the last page and read the ending line again. _'And when I think about it, what is a more fitting end for me?'_ Dark sighed quietly and put the book on his desk, looking at the white cover it. He couldn't even read the neat words Krad had written on it. He was certain the last word was 'Flower' or something very similar to it. Dark walked over to his window and pulled back the curtain, looking out over the stormy ocean. Dark inhale sharply. He had to know what had happened. There was no reason for Krad to suddenly flip out during the third host.

Dark lowered his eyes. He knew it wasn't a sudden inquisitiveness; it had been centuries long. When it came to Krad, nothing seemed to make sense, especially when feelings were involved. Dark couldn't remember feeling anything but contempt for the blond demon and flinched at his own words. That could be what sent Krad off the deep end. Dark had heard the Hikari's call Krad a demon several times and that could be what made the blond change. Dark knew that if was to spend over two hundred years of being called a demon he would turn into one. But something had to have happened for that bloodline to start calling the golden beauty that. For the life of him, Dark couldn't think of a thing that would make an entire bloodline suddenly hate Krad.

Dark raised his eyes in time to see lightning streak across the sky in the distance. It would seem another thunderstorm was headed their way. Dark wondered how Krad was going to deal with it. The blond would be attending school the next day as he hadn't said anything about not attending. Krad hadn't said anything about them going to take the test, either so Dark guessed that was off. The fight had been for nothing. Or had it? Dark blinked. Of course it had. He had attacked Krad for no reason as they weren't going to take the test, which meant that Ito would fail them on it.

Dark sighed heavily. What was he thinking? Krad needed someone to help him and he was worrying about a test? Dark knew he was going to fail science, not that he cared much for it. Krad, on the other hand, might take it a little personally. Dark doubt it, though. If the blond cared at all about school, he wouldn't have pretended to be sick. _What was with that?_ Dark asked himself. As far as he could tell, Krad was perfectly fine, physically. There shouldn't have been a reason for Krad wanting to skip. _He missed three classes on his first day. What was with _that_?_ Dark dropped the curtain and rubbed his eyes. Why did Krad have to be so complicated?

Dark shook his head. Krad wasn't complicated. There were just lots things he was keeping to himself. Krad wasn't an open book like Dark was. And why should he be? Dark had no doubt that every time Krad tried to open up after the third host, he was just shot down or ridiculed or both. _It was probably the reason for the book_, Dark concluded. Obviously Krad found something that would listen to him unconditionally and that made Dark roll his shoulders uncomfortably. They were pretty much the same being and Krad couldn't bring himself to open up to Dark. With that, Dark decided he was probably going to be the worst friend Krad could ever hope for.

_But a friend, still,_ his heart told him. _But what use would you be if he can't open up to you?_ Dark shifted as his thought about what his brain said. He went back to pacing. _Give Krad time and he will open up to you. If you show him that you're there to help and support him through everything he goes through, he will tell you what you want to know._ Since when was the heart the logical one of the two? Dark knew that when it came to Krad, his heart was always the logical one because his brain was the one that was trying to convince the black winged angel that he hated Krad and he should've killed the blond, instead of sealing them away. And his brain was having a grand old time gloating about the fact that if he had just killed Krad he wouldn't be having any of that trouble.

_You see, brain? That's why I like my heart. Krad is _always_ worth the trouble._ Dark nodded defiantly and heard his heart cackle at his brain. _And,_ Dark continued, _when you think about it, half of Krad is you. So why are you trying to get me to kill him?_ Dark froze at his thoughts. Why was he talking to his brain and telling it that he liked his heart better? Dark decided he didn't care and would amuse himself a little longer with the trivial chit-chat. _Because Krad _isn't_ worth the trouble you think he is. Do you really think that friendship thing is genuine? Guess again, pretty boy,_ his brain shot back. Dark wasn't going to accept it. Krad had practically been asleep when he had asked to be friends with Dark and Dark wasn't going to turn him down. Even when Krad was evil and the blond had asked that question, Dark still would've accepted the offer, even if it meant him dying.

_Ignore that jackass,_ his heart said. _Krad cares about you and you know he does. That's why you're so confused about the whole thing. You know you're attracted to females and females only. But you want to know what makes Krad so special that he deserves your affections, right?_ Dark nodded and he could feel his heart smile towards him. _He deserves your affections because you and he are only whole when you're together._ Dark thought about it. More, he would've thought about it, if his brain didn't decide to laugh mockingly at his heart. _As if! Dark can be whole when he finds his true love and all that shit. You should know _all_ about that, heart._ Dark raised an eyebrow. If they started a fight within him, he was going to remove them both.

_Dark owns us,_ his heart said._ We'll let him decide who he will follow._ Dark frowned slightly. They both raised valid points of argument and Dark didn't want to let one or the other down, which was stupid sounding, he knew. _Okay, how about this?_ And he really couldn't believe he was bargaining with his own organs at the moment. He was surprised when none of the others had decided to put their two cents worth in. _I'll be Krad's friend but brain does have a point; it could be a ruse. Krad has always been a brilliant actor, just like me, so I'll be on the look out for anything that could possibly spell misfortune for me. Do we have a deal?_ The heart agreed immediately and Dark just waited for his brain to accept the terms. After a few minutes of debating with itself, and loudly, it agreed also. Dark sighed in relief and laid down on his bed, staring up at his ceiling. He was thankful that was over with. Anymore of it and he was scared he would throw himself off his small balcony.

Dark sat up and groaned. He really wanted to follow his heart fully, though. Just like Krad, Dark was tired of their fighting. Sure, they could get into some world class bitching contests about each other but other than that, Dark really wanted a friend. Sure, there was Daisuke but Dark viewed the redhead as a younger brother that needed to be protected from the school bullies, which included the girls. Emiko was more like his mother and he had no problem talking to her about his girl issues. Kosuke – Dark wasn't going there. Daiki? Not a hope in hell. Dark had kept a lot of things hidden from the older Niwa and he wasn't going to reveal any of them. And Satoshi was out of the question, also.

The only person that could really understand him was Krad. The blond had it in him to be sweet, kind and gentle, Dark had seen it that morning. The way Krad was with Daisuke and Satoshi, while it reminded him of a mother hen clucking over her chicks, it had been a display of warmth and fondness Dark didn't think Krad was capable of. It almost made Dark wish he had a family, just so he could ground his insolent children. Dark had a feeling that if he were to ever reproduce, his children would be _way_ worse than he was and Dark was pretty bad. He had a bit of a gutter mouth on him and the last thing he needed his infant child to pick up as a first word was 'fuck', 'shit' or 'cock'. Not to mention, he would have to find the perfect breeding partner. Risa would have the ability to produce beautiful and handsome children. Riku would have the ability of producing children with stamina and intelligence. But both of them were too young to even think about having a family, though. Except maybe Risa.

Dark yawned and lied down again, closing his eyes. All that thinking of families and such was tiring, especially without having any food in him. It had to be lunchtime by then but Dark wasn't going to go downstairs, just in case he saw something that could scar him for life, in more ways than one. Instead, he decided to get a nap in. _What's the worst that could happen?_ His brain sounded snide with that question but Dark let it go. He didn't want to think at the moment. He'd done enough of it for that day.

* * *

_I look up. I'm out on the same balcony but instead of snow there is rain. A thunderstorm is heading for us and my eyes dart around, trying to locate Krad. I can't let him be alone in this kind of weather! It would terrify him to no end and I would never forgive myself. On the large balcony, I can't spot him. I can't think of anywhere he could be, either. Everything seems to revolve around this damn balcony and it's beginning to frighten me. Why would it hold such significance? It doesn't matter, I tell myself. All that matters is finding Krad and keeping him safe until the storm has passed._

_I turn around on the spot. Something is different with the balcony. I don't know what it is but something isn't the same as it was last time. Maybe it is the weather; I can't be sure. I stop turning and face the end, staring at the stone railing. That's what it is! Along the railing are big, white flowers that are getting ready to bloom. I watch as their petals begin to unravel and smile. Such a beautiful thing to witness. I have never seen a flower like that and remind myself to ask Krad about them. Krad! The storm. Where is my angel?_

_I lick the rain off my lips and pause for a second. When did rain taste salty? I look up at the sky again, this time I see him. He is nailed to a cross, like Christ had been. He doesn't bleed blood, though. Instead, what comes out are his tears. Every tear he refused to cry are dripping from the wounds made by the spikes driven into his wrists and feet. He gazes down at me, his beautiful golden eyes glittering like they once did, three hundred years ago. His lips move but he can't seem to find his voice. I begin to panic. Is he trying to ask me something? Is he in pain? No. His eyes would give him away if he were._

_I take a step towards him and suddenly, the cross he is upon is turned upside down and thrust onto the balcony. The salty liquid is replaced with his blood and I scream, only just like him, I make no sound. I push the cross over and use my hands to try and remove the spikes holding him in place. The metal that holds him from me. His screams can be heard and I know I'm hurting him terribly but I have to do it. If I don't hurt him, I'll never be able to free him and if I don't free him, I'll never be able to fully love him. That's all I want is a chance to love him and treat him like the delicate orchid he is._

_I remove the spike from his feet with an ear-piercing scream of agony from the one I'm trying to save but at the same time, I know I'm saving myself. With the spike removed, I could feel part of me being restored. And hell, if I can't save him, what hope do I have of saving myself? I'll have no hope. That's what Krad is to me, he's my hope. He's the reason I continue on everyday. He's the reason I…He's the reason I'm alive. Not a day goes by that I don't think about what happened to him. Those pricks that had hurt him so badly and so deeply. The same people that he was undyingly loyal to. He turned the hatred he had for them against me and I have to suffer? Why should I be the one that has to deal with it all? Why did he pick me, of all people he could've released it on? What is so special about me? I'm nothing – unless I have him with me. _All_ of him._

_I want everything of him. All his 'flaws', even though he's absolutely flawless in my eyes. He is the vision of perfection if only he would let me in more often. I know that he has a hard time with that but I can't help him if he keeps shutting me out. I reach up to pull out the spike binding his right wrist to the cross and another screech of pain rips from his throat. It hurts me to do it and I can feel the tears stinging my eyes but I can't let them fall. Not until I have him in my arms, safely._

"_How do you expect me to show you what I'm feeling when you lock yours away, as well?" he suddenly asks me, forcing me to stop my current activity._

_I stare down at him. He is crying tears of crimson and instead of falling to the side of his head, like gravity would predict, they were running down his cheeks, leaving such strange tracks. Violet and crimson cross over each other like roads down his face. It is beautiful to see. I can't help but think that he has lost a lot of blood because of me. I have made him shed innocent blood. The very fluid that keeps him alive and I have made him cry it for me. I have made him sweat it for me. What did I do to receive such devotion from the perfect angel before me? I kill him. I'm the one that shuts him down when he tries to help me. I'm the one who keeps so much locked up inside that I don't even know what's in me anymore._

_My eyes turn to the flowers that have fully opened. A sweet fragrance invades my nose and I feel calm. My attention returns to Krad, who is smiling at me, still crying his crimson tears. Such pain he has gone through for me. Being despised and loathed and even _hated_ just for me. I brush his fringe out of his eyes, my fingers softly running over the curve of his lips. Always so soft, I tell myself. It's hard to believe there was once a monster inside the crucified angel. He gave up everything for me and I repaid him by continuously kicking his ass whenever we used to do battle. I hate myself._

_I look into his eyes as I reach over to remove the spike from his right wrist. I stop dead when something grabs his shoulders and rips him from the cross. I feel sick at the sound of bone being broken and flesh being ripped. He doesn't scream, though. I gaze at the one holding him and see myself. My eyes widen. How could I do such a cruel thing to him? Better it quick and painful, rather than slow and excruciatingly painful. I get to my feet and watch as he smiles at the other me. The gentle, loving smile. The other I looks at me with cold, hard violet eyes that have a slight sadistic glint to them._

"_No!" I shout, finally finding my voice. "Don't go back to him! Please, Krad! Don't! He's not what you're looking for! Everything you need is in me!" The tears I was holding back break loose and fall over my cheeks as I watch Krad accept the monster back into him._

_

* * *

_

Dark's hand shot out and slapped the person that was shaking his shoulders. There was a curse and a thud. Dark opened his eyes groggily and saw Kosuke holding a hand over his mouth and Emiko watching him closely. Dark sat up and looked around. He was in his room and that was by far, _the_ most fucked up dream he'd ever had. The dream from the day before and the day before last didn't even touch the tip of the iceberg compared to that one.

Emiko checked up on Kosuke and saw that her husband was fine. She turned her questioning eyes to Dark. "What's going on with you? We just spent the last hour trying to wake you since we heard you scream."

Dark blinked. He had screamed? He couldn't remember what he had done in the dream. He remembered crying right at the end. _Oh shit! Please don't let me have done that in real life, too!_ He wiped his cheeks and groaned inwardly as he felt the tear tracks. That was just perfect. The people he had come to consider his mother and his father probably thought he was a big baby for crying in his sleep. Dark ran his hands through his hair. _What a messed up dream,_ he told himself as he looked at Emiko. She was still waiting for her answer and Dark had forgotten the question.

"I'm sorry, Emiko. What did you ask?"

Emiko frowned slightly and pressed a hand to Dark's forehead. It wasn't like Dark to forget something mere minutes after it was asked. Seeing as he didn't feel overly hot, she held her chin in thought, trying to think of what else it could be. It was obvious he had been having a nightmare and from the last part he had shouted, it had something to do with Krad. She hoped that the gold angel was taking of himself and not making her Dark worry himself stupid about him. She hummed pensively as she continued to study Dark. Something wasn't right and it hadn't been for the last two days.

"Dark, what's going on?" she asked again, hoping this time she would get an answer instead of a dumbfounded look.

Dark rubbed his eyes and sat on the edge of his bed. He really wished he could answer her and he really wished he knew what was going on. The only thing he could tell her was that he was having nightmares but he didn't want to go into the details of them. So, he told her he was having nightmares and that whenever he woke up, he couldn't remember what they were. He lied and said he wanted to remember so he could write them down and find out what they meant. Emiko listened intently, nodding her head every so often. She knew that Dark was keeping something out of the story but she wasn't going to force it out him, yet.

"Well, honey," she started, sitting beside the thief and hugging him tightly, "all I know is that you were screaming at Krad to stop what he was doing. You were dead set on making he realize that everything he needed was in you."

Dark blushed. It felt weird having someone tell him that, especially considering it could be interoperated as anything they wanted. "That's all I remember about them, Emiko. They're about Krad but I don't know what else. I mean, why am I even dreaming about Krad?" He could at least say he was genuinely interested in hearing someone's answer for that.

"You and he are the same being, just divided, right?" Kosuke asked, knowing the answer. "Maybe he's in trouble and your dreams are warning you of that, if you could remember them."

Dark shifted slightly. They both knew he was lying about not remembering them. _So why don't they say something?_ He figured they were waiting for him to make the first move but Dark wasn't going to. He didn't want anyone to know about the dreams especially that last one. That one was pointing in a direction Dark didn't like and he knew what everyone else would think of it, too. With a sigh, Dark got to his feet and announced he was going to take a shower. He left his bedroom and went into the bathroom, turning the water on and stripped. He played with the knobs a little, adjusting the temperature to his liking at the moment and stepped under the barely lukewarm spray. He washed the sweat off his body and scrubbed extra hard at his face, as if he was trying to erase the fact that he had cried.

Dark turned the shower off and stepped out, roughly drying his body and hair before wrapping the towel around his hips and leaving the bathroom just as the phone rang. Dark decided to let someone else get it as he had no idea who would be calling at that time of night. He paused for a moment when he heard Emiko gasp. He stepped of the stairs and watched her. She was talking in a hushed voice and nodding her head. She hung up and turned around, blinking as she looked at Dark.

"Shouldn't you be getting dressed?"

Dark shrugged. "Who was that?"

"Your grandfather. He wanted me to tell you to get dressed and stop dripping on the floor!" Emiko flicked a dishtowel at Dark and the thief ran off upstairs.

Once safely in his room, Dark removed the towel and properly dried his body. Emiko was holing something back about that phone call. If it was only Daiki why would she lower her voice like that? And it had to be bad news; too, otherwise she wouldn't have gasped the way she did. Dark had been around the woman enough, including the time he was inside Daisuke's mind, to know what her body language meant. But Dark was great at handling bad news.

"_Dark, I enrolled you at Daisuke's school! Isn't that wonderful?" Emiko asked a grin on her face._

What?_ Dark asked himself. _She can't be serious? She is. I hate school!_ "God damn it!" He broke the coffee table and stormed off to his room._

"_Dark, Krad has his own body, too," Daisuke said nervously and retreated a few paces._

What?_ Dark asked himself. _He can't be serious? He is. I hate Krad!_ "God fucking damn it!" Dark broke the desk in his room and stormed off out of the house._

"_Dark –"_

"_No! I don't give a shit what the bad news is this time! I refuse to hear it because it's gone from bad to worse and what you're about to tell me is probably going to top the 'Krad having his own body as well' one!" Dark glared at Kosuke, who held his hands up and scuttled away from the purple haired teen._

Dark frowned a little. _I might have to do something about my anger issues,_ he told himself as he pulled on a pair of black jeans and a black v-neck sweater. He jogged downstairs and went into the kitchen, opening the fridge, seeing if there was anything quick and easy he could make. He heard muffled voices coming from Emiko and Kosuke's room. Eavesdropping was never something that Dark could get behind but when it came to Emiko keeping secrets, Dark's curiosity got the better of him.

With the stealth of any master thief, Dark slid up to the door and pressed his ear to the wood. He still couldn't fully make out what they were saying but they were talking about him. Oh, it was about the nightmare thing. Dark shrugged and walked back into the kitchen, looking through the cupboards and the pantry. He just wanted something to eat and considered flying over to the Hiwatari Mansion just so Krad could make him another one of those sandwiches. Or better yet, ask Krad to bring one over! Dark shook his head. That was just silly. He wasn't going to make Krad go out in the weather that scared the small blond. That would just be completely cold hearted. Satoshi on the other hand…

Dark shook his head again. _What am I thinking? It's practically a hurricane out there and I would make a near fifteen-year-old come here just for a sandwich? A tasty, tasty sandwich._ Dark raised an eyebrow at his thoughts and decided he had spent too much time in Daisuke's head. Dark made himself a sandwich and sat in front of the television, turning it on. According to the weather report, they could expect a lot more thunderstorms for the next three days and then sunshine that would continue on into next week. Dark liked that. He did love summertime, just because of the sun and because he loved bronzing up his tan even more. It made the girls go crazy.

The news ended and Dark waited for the next program to begin. It was some stupid high school show but he was too lazy at the moment to reach for the remote and change the channel. His ears twitched when the door to the parents' room clicked open. He didn't look over there and pretended to engrossed by the opening of the show, which was showing all the main characters for that episode. He raised an eyebrow when it began with a boy kissing another boy and boy number one confessing his love to boy number two. Boy number two smiled and went to kiss boy number one when boy number two's girlfriend walked around the corner and created a huge scene about it.

_Fuck me! What a bitch! Man, if my girlfriend ever reacted that way because I kissed Krad in the hallway of the school, I would just ditch her overdramatic ass right there._ Dark finished his sandwich, eyes glued to the screen, sitting on the edge of the sofa, as boy number two, who was named Kage, told boy number one, Shiroi, that even though he loves him, they can't be together because his popularity was more important than his happiness. Dark scoffed and sat back on the sofa. "God, you're such a fucking pansy! You love him, he loves you, why be so superficial about the whole thing, douchebag?" A commercial break came on and Dark went to get a drink, stopping when he saw the looks Emiko and Kosuke were giving him. "What?"

Emiko laughed. "Nothing, Dark. It was just weird to see you getting all worked up about a show for teenagers." She flapped her hand as she went into the kitchen, pouring Dark a glass of orange juice and handing it to the boy so she could have the kitchen to herself to start dinner.

Dark sat down just as the program came back on. Shiroi was soon being ridiculed for his sexuality and he was getting it worse from Kage, who seemed to be taking great pleasure in making the boy's life a living hell. Dark shook his head, unable to believe that Kage would sacrifice love and eternal happiness just for another few months of being popular before they went off to college. Dark wanted to kill Kage for what he was doing to Shiroi. Dark finished his orange juice as another commercial break came on. He chewed his lower lip in thought. _Kage and Shiroi were friends and have been friends since they were very little. It's kind of like me and Krad, only I would gladly give up my popularity if it meant making him happy._ Dark grinned at his thoughts, which made him feel all fuzzy inside.

The show came back and Dark glanced at the time, seeing that it was almost over. He returned his gaze back to the screen and saw that Shiroi was sitting on his bed, legs pulled up to his chest as he cried, asking, begging some higher being for an answer as to why Kage would do that to him. Dark felt his heart breaking for the poor boy. When Shiroi received no answer, he got up and went across the hall to the bathroom, pulling out his father's straight razor. "No, Shiroi! Kage isn't worth it!" Dark yelled at the television, knowing full well that the boy inside the box couldn't hear him. "Give him time and maybe he'll come to his senses! If he doesn't, then he's not worth your time but you have got to live. You might find someone else. Shiroi…" Dark trailed off as the show ended with Shiroi dragging the razor over his wrist and the credits came up.

Dark sat back and sighed. He couldn't believe it! How could someone be that cruel to a person they love? It was even crueler because Kage was throwing Shiroi's feelings for him in the boy's face. It was despicable. No human would be able to do that and not feel at least a _twinge_ of guilt about it or maybe even sorrow? Dark knew that if Krad…_Why am I always comparing everyone to Krad?_ Dark shook his head and got up, heading to the kitchen. He needed a refill on his orange juice.

"That's not right, is it, Emiko?" Dark asked with his eyes lowered.

"What Kage did to Shiroi? No, not in the slightest. It will haunt him, though, if Shiroi dies, Kage knows it will be because of him. Sure, the other 'popular' kids teased Shiroi but the only one that mattered was Kage, and Kage knew that, which was why he was extra cruel." Emiko added the finely diced carrots to the stew she was making. "Why do you ask, Dark?"

"Because it kinda seems to be what I see. You know, with people getting insulted because of how they look, where they come from or their sexuality. You know, Krad once said that words are given power if the person they're being directed at believe they're true. If the person who is being insulted just smiles at the person insulting them, then the one being insulted has won a great victory because they are proud of who they are." Dark half smiled slightly. It had sounded way more poetic when Krad said it but Dark was pretty sure Emiko and Kosuke got the basic idea of it.

Emiko had a surprised smile on her face. "Krad said that? That beautiful dialog you just quoted was from Krad?" She shook her head as she stirred the stew. She never pegged Krad as the pseudo-poetic type. "He's right, Dark. If you show confidence in yourself, there will be people who will try to bring you down but that's because they're hiding some dirty secret of their own. Usually the ones that attack homosexuals are trying to cover the fact that they're homosexual as well. A person that attacks a kid because he doesn't have a lot of money is either someone who was once poor or someone who is poor."

"So that's why Kage was so mean to Shiroi, just so the others wouldn't think he had feelings for someone of the same gender?"

"High school can be rough on some people, especially on gay boys. There are quite a few of them that commit suicide every year because of the physical, psychological and emotional attacks they suffer." Emiko looked over her should at Dark and smiled warmly at him. "I'll bet there are rumors going about Daisuke and Satoshi but no one has even _dared_ to say anything cruel to them. Why? Because there's no proof behind the rumors."

Dark shifted uncomfortably again. He could feel Kosuke's gaze on him and Dark knew the man knew what he was thinking. It was kind of scary when the father figure did that, simply because most of the time he was like Dark and played the fool, so no one would take him seriously. Dark looked up when Emiko called his name. She had a worried look on her face and Dark forced a smile.

"Dark Mousy, what are you hiding from me?" Emiko was still holding the wooden spoon and Dark decided he'd rather keep his dignity in tact.

"Krad's gay. He told me himself, when he and Satoshi were over for dinner." Dark lowered his gaze to the breakfast counter he was currently leaning on. _Holy fuck me Jesus! What have I done? Why didn't I think before confirming that rumor?_ Dark took a deep, shaky breath.

"Is that a bad thing? I mean, I know he looks similar to you, Dark, but no one is going to assume you're gay because of him."

Dark shook his head. "I was the one that confirmed the rumor, before I even knew the truth," he confessed, feeling some relief but fearing what Emiko was going to do to him.

"You _what_?" she demanded. She was really hoping she was just hearing things and that Dark hadn't actually said that he confirmed a rumor before he knew it was true. But somehow, she knew that Dark was going to explain it all.

"It was his first day of school and everyone was already saying he was, anyway and it was before I kissed him and he made me all confused. I just wanted to get back at him for the past three hundred years." Dark couldn't bring himself to look at Emiko. He knew he had disappointed her and he really felt like a child that been caught stealing.

"Dark, Krad was never like you. He never had a stable psyche to begin with and he's just been dumped with a load of emotions, and even though he tried to hide it, I could tell he didn't know what half of them were. Satoshi enrolled him in your classes so you could help put his pieces together, not shatter them even more." Emiko made sure to keep her voice level as she could see that Dark was already beating himself up about it.

Dark nodded. "I know and I understand that now. I mean, I would've set the rumor straight yesterday or today but yesterday, I tried to make Krad breakfast and ended up making a huge mess for him to clean, my uniform included –"

"Satoshi called to inform me," Emiko cut in. "Just so I didn't punish you when the school rang. I told your science teacher you were sick."

Dark held back a shudder of disgust. Seriously, though, why was the science teacher calling and not the principle? Wasn't that his job? Dark rolled his shoulders. He really didn't like that creep having Krad's number. Dark didn't know why he didn't trust Mr. Ito with Krad. Maybe it was because Ito was a sadist, metaphorically and literally, and Dark was just concerned about Krad's wellbeing. _Again, why do I care about Krad?_ Dark frowned slightly. _Because he's the other half of you,_ his heart answered and Dark smiled. That's right. He had to protect the light from evil, which could mean him at some point, too, again.

Dark glanced up at Emiko, who was stirring the stew but staring at him. She didn't even seem slightly frazzled by the fact that Dark said he had kissed Krad. He desperately wanted to ask about that but he had a few more things he wanted to clear up. Dark was aware that he cared about Krad; he wasn't going to keep that hidden any longer. He did want to be friends with the blond, just so he could keep a close eye on him without it being weird or suspicious.

"And today, Krad picked Daisuke and Satoshi up from school because there was a weather warning. I mean, I didn't think Krad was capable of that but he's really changed and I like it, a lot. He asked if we could be friends, the other night."

"Daisuke called me to let me know he would be at Satoshi's for a day or two because of the weather. He said that Krad didn't want anyone going out in it. And Dark I'm surprised it took you this long to realize that Krad had changed. When he was around for dinner it was obvious that the old Krad was gone and the scared, shattered Krad was in its place." Emiko smiled as she remembered the playful twinkle in Krad's eyes. It was good to see that and she really wanted to help piece the broken angel back together but knew that it was a job only Dark could do.

"'Its'?" Dark asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The demon that attached itself to his soul. I doubt Krad was that way because he wanted to be. I'm sure something bad happened that made him crack and from there, evil set in." _Such pure evil._ Emiko remembered the times Dark would return from a fight with Krad and while Dark had won, it came with a price. Usually a few broken ribs or a stabbed shoulder. And the way Dark would speak about him. Emiko didn't blame the thief for talking in such a manner about someone that had just broken two or three of your ribs and blasted the hell out of you with energy orbs. Dark knew as well as Emiko did that it wasn't entirely Krad's doing. There was something much more sinister about the blond and all it took was for Black Wings to get all freaky and spit them out for the blond to go back to normal.

Dark stared at Emiko intently. He had no idea she knew so much about the Hikari line and wondered if she knew what had happened to Krad to make him crack and for that evil to weasel its way into such a pure heart. Emiko seemed to pick up on what Dark was thinking and shook her head, saying she didn't know what had happened to Krad just that wasn't always like that and even before the evil set in, his psyche wasn't in the best of conditions.

"If you want to know what happened to make him crack, you'll have to ask him yourself, Dark." Emiko smiled at the purple haired teen, who didn't return it.

"Can't you? I mean, you're all motherly and shit. He might open up to you more."

Emiko laughed. "Dark, are you being serious? Krad would clam up around me because he's not used to receiving affectionate attention from mortals. Satoshi _might_ be the only exception but he's not going to talk to some random human about his problems. He needs you. It's why I invited them around Monday and it's why I let you and Daisuke stay out on a school night. When have I ever done that?"

Dark blinked. "Wait, you _invited_ them around? I thought they showed up because Satoshi and Daisuke were working on a project together?" Dark was confused. Just what was Emiko up to? She knew that back on Monday Dark _loathed_ the very sound of Krad's name and she invited them around for dinner?

"You know the funny thing about you angels?" Dark shook his head. "It doesn't take you nearly as long as it does for a human to realize you're in love."

Dark narrowed his eyes in thought, chewing over what Emiko had just said. "Wait, what! No! I don't love Krad! I care about him and there is a huge difference!" Dark looked at Kosuke, who was suddenly standing beside him a hand on the teen's shoulder.

"Dark, we didn't want to tell you this but…You said a lot of stuff out loud while you were watching that show," Kosuke revealed and Dark felt a heat rise to his cheeks.

"Wh-what stuff?"

Kosuke smiled and walked off, leaving it to Emiko again. "About how you would gladly give up your popularity if it meant making Krad happy."

"Oh, fuck me," Dark groaned.

Emiko had lost count of how many times she would've whacked Dark with the spoon because of his language if she hadn't remembered he was in fact a three hundred year old angel. As long as Daisuke didn't start talking with the gutter mouth that Dark had, she could easily let it slide. She had to wonder where in the hell Dark and Krad had picked it up from. It especially didn't seem right when Krad swore, such an innocent twinkle in his eyes that could rival Daisuke's. But Emiko knew that was the remnants of the evil that had been inside the pale angel for so long. Back on topic, Emiko was surprised that all of that had come about Dark feeling a connection with Shiroi, who was a fictional character in a program aimed at teenagers.

"You really connected to Shiroi and I think I know why: he reminded you of Krad. Didn't he?" Emiko let the stew simmer as she began preparing the rice.

Dark shifted again. He was getting a little tired of her asking questions that hit a little too close to home. "Yeah, he did. Kage remind me of me, if I were to become a complete douche."

Emiko giggled. "That'll never happen, Dark because you're not as shallow as you want people to believe you are. When did you discover your feelings for Krad, honey?"

"Monday. After we kissed, I chased him and pinned him to my bedroom floor and something happened." Dark lowered his head as another blush crept up onto his cheeks. _What the fuck is wrong with me? I'm blushing as much as Daisuke does whenever Riku says 'hi' to him!_ Dark lowered his head even more when Emiko stroked his hair.

"What happened?" She measured out the rice and then froze. "Wait…You _kissed_ him?"

Dark shrugged. "Apparently he bet Miyuki fifty bucks that he could get me to kiss him. I walked right into his trap and he came out the victor."

"Is this the same Miyuki that you've been chasing for the last month?" Dark nodded. "And you wanted to get back at Krad by pretending you were gay?"

"Gay for him, actually and it turns out that Miyuki is gay, also. I guess I just turned a blind eye to it so I could continue to delude myself that I had a hope." Dark sighed and rested his head on the countertop.

Emiko shook her head. She had no idea what she was going to do with those boys. "Okay, so you pretended to be gay for Krad, kissed him, chased him, pinned him to your floor and then what happened?" Emiko knew it was embarrassing for Dark to say it but he had to learn that they weren't going to laugh at or judge him.

"I…kinda got…excited by it." Again, Dark shifted, his forehead still on the countertop to hide the blush he _knew_ would be seen through his tan.

Emiko had to think about it for a moment and then she realized what Dark meant and waved Kosuke over. This was the sort of thing the father should talk about. Kosuke stood beside Dark again. "What about this is embarrassing you? You take great pleasure in telling us what you would do to Risa if you had a gag at the dinner table."

Dark folded his arms on the counter and stared down at the material of his sweater. "I guess it's because I got excited about pinning Krad beneath me. I think I scared him with it, too. Didn't you notice that he ran out of here pretty quickly?"

Kosuke scratched the back of his head nervously. He would be the first to admit he had almost no experience in this field of being a father. Stupidly sacrificing himself for Daisuke, sure. But why all the talks? Kosuke shook his head and decided to get serious about it. Dark was obviously a little confused about what was happening between him and Krad. Kosuke couldn't really dig up a past experience to draw knowledge from but decided to go with what knowledge he had of Black Wings, like he had before. He just hoped that it worked, especially with Emiko listening in. That wasn't another strain to make sure he got the talk right or anything like that.

"Dark, did you stop to think that maybe you didn't scare Krad with it?" Kosuke nodded to himself. That was pretty good. He could use that for later chats he was bound to have with Daisuke.

Dark looked at the father figure in his life. "Are you suggesting that Krad, of all people, who has the libido of a stick, enjoyed being pinned beneath me?"

"I'm saying it's a possibility but nothing is set in stone. Have you two even spoken about it since it happened or are you hoping it'll just be an embarrassing once off?"

Dark thought about it. "No. It wasn't a once off, I know it would happen again. I mean, last night, we got into a fight that turned physical and –"

"You _what_?" Emiko interjected again. "You and Krad got into a fight?"

"Four, actually, though the third and fourth kinda rolled into one. But Krad was helping me study for a test we were meant to take today and he said something – I can't remember what – but it set me off. It started off as yelling and then I hit him and pinned him to he sofa. If it wasn't for the fact that I was so angry at him, I know I would've excited about it."

Emiko stared at the thief. She had raised him to be just that, a thief. Not a brawler but with the Hikari around, it was good that Dark had some fighting skills. She went back to preparing dinner, only half listening to what the men were talking about. It seemed strange for Dark to be confused about it all, considering he was three centuries old. Still, it wasn't her place to nitpick. Then again, as far as she knew, Dark hadn't been given his own body, either.

"What were the fights about?" Kosuke asked suddenly.

"The first one was about Krad not eating, so I tried force feed him. The second one, I can't remember. The third one which rolled into the fourth one was about me reading a book I found in Krad's closet and being naked on his bed and that he didn't want me to sleep with him." Dark shrugged.

Kosuke nodded. "Did you want to sleep beside him naked?"

There was that cursed blush again. "I…kinda didn't want to do any sleeping."

Emiko sudden spun around. "Dark, when did the dreams start?"

Dark blinked. "Monday night. I remember that it frightened me enough to go to the Hiwatari Mansion to check up on Krad, but I don't remember what it was about."

Emiko looked thoughtful. "I wish you could remember what your dreams were about. It might help us figure out what's going on. I mean, a full hour to shaking you and yelling at you and you didn't seem to notice us until you started screaming for Krad to stop what he was doing. That's the part that worries me." Emiko turned back to the stew. "Why are you home, Dark? Daiki said he was going to see if he could get us to have the house to ourselves again."

"I did something to Krad. Well, two things, really. He asked me to stay the night but I didn't want to, in case I did something I couldn't control. So I was flirting with him and teasing the crap out of him. I moved his collar to lick his throat and saw something he wanted to keep hidden. I don't even think Satoshi knows about the scars around his neck. I think he tried committing suicide." Dark noticed the way that Emiko tensed and frowned. "I think I might call him and apologize for what I did." Dark reached for the phone when Emiko sighed and shook her head.

"You'll find it be point to call the Hiwatari Mansion at the moment, Dark. No one is there," she said.

Dark raised an eyebrow. Where the hell could they be? Why the hell did Krad let them out in that weather? He was the one that had dragged the two boys back to the house because of a weather warning and now they were all going for a stroll? Dark wanted answers. "Does that have anything to do with the phone call you got when I came out of the shower?" Emiko nodded and Dark's patience was wearing thing. "What the fuck was it about, then?"

Emiko faced Dark, tears in her eyes. "Krad's in the hospital. He tried again," she revealed, the tears falling from her eyes.

* * *

End Chapter II.

Yeah, I honestly have no flipping idea where this story is going. It keeps changing on me and I don't know what I'm doing. Special thanks to Danaeyl Panthernopaeus for that bizarre dream sequence! If you review, please be sure to thank him for his help, also! I also can't tell if I'm rushing this or not because...I have no idea!

**Alexia -** Heys! Long time no hear! I'm guessing you didn't like Music Again then? Oh well~! As for ALL the questions, minus two, that you asked, you'll just have to wait and see, won't ya? :P The answer for the two questions is about the dreams and if I would do one or just let Danaeyl Panthernopaeus do them all. I'm going to try and have a dream in every chapter, depending on how Danaeyl feels and if he sends me a dream before I update and if I can find a way to work a dream into the chapter. So, that's kind of a maybe. I do have a certain answer for ya, though - I WILL NOT BE ATTEMPTING THE DREAMS MYSELF~! I can't write first person and the dreams seem a little more personalized when they are first person, so all the dreams will be done by Danaeyl.  
Thanks for the awesome review, sweetie! -kiss kiss-

**S . Webb133** - Aww, thank you! I hope this chapter was up to your standards and I'll have chapter three up as soon as possible! I should tell you, though, you caught me during a massive creative streak because my chapters have NEVER been this long before. I'll try to continue giving you a lot to read! Oh and sorry about doing your name that way but FF is being a pain and won't let me put your name in correctly without it screwing it up.

**Watermelon Koolaid** - You're not the only one! I feel like its being rushed but drawn out, too! But thank you for the review and I hope this chapter has helped to make up your mind and some of the supernatural comes out to play in this chapter, I think. Christ, I can't even remember my own story!

Oh yes and next chapter, as much as I HATE OCs, I'll be introducing one but don't worry! It will only be for chapter three! I know I've introduced an OC in the first chapter but she doesn't get much screen time. So, please bear with me!

Still looking for a beta! ^^


	3. Gemini Lotus III

**~Gemini Lotus~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

* * *

Krad rubbed his eyes with his hands and sat up when he heard gasps around him. He looked at the faces of the Niwa's, Dark and Satoshi. _Where am I?_ Krad looked around and saw that he was in the hospital and frowned. He didn't know how he got there or why he was there. He looked at his wrists and sighed. That's right. He woke up, screaming as it felt like someone was driving spikes through his wrists. His screaming had gotten the attention of Daisuke and Satoshi and they had seen the second being formed. They knew the doctors would think Krad was suicidal but he had to have medical attention before he bled out. They helped Krad down the stairs and into the car and that was around the time he passed out. He couldn't believe he was still in that bed.

Dark was chewing on his thumb nail, watching him intently, like he knew something and didn't want to say it in front of the others. Emiko's tears had stopped falling. Satoshi's face was slowly regaining some color and so was Daisuke's. Kosuke looked thoughtful and Krad shifted under the gaze of the older man. Daiki looked like he was ready to have a heart attack. Krad looked around the white room, wrinkling his nose. He hated the hospital. They always jumped to conclusions about everything and that was annoying. They would probably want to hold him overnight to make sure he didn't do anything stupid again and Krad would show them stupid if they said that in front of him. He doubt they would as they wouldn't want the patient to know the family thinks they're insane. Then there would be the problems with the weight loss and Krad couldn't wait for that one.

Krad crossed his legs and rested an elbow on the inside of his right knee, resting his cheek against the hand, looking around at everyone. He didn't know what they were waiting for and he had no idea what Satoshi had told them when he called. Krad remembered telling his former host to make sure Dark didn't find out as Krad didn't want to deal with the other angel at the moment but it appeared someone had told him, as he was there, looking like he was going to rip his entire thumb off. With a sigh, Krad began to unravel the bandaging around his right wrist. He removed the gauze and looked at the stitches that closed up a hole that was an inch in diameter. Krad knew he was lucky to survive that but he didn't know who to thank, so he settled for Daisuke and Satoshi. After all, if it hadn't been for them, he would be dead, in his bed at that moment.

Krad checked the left and saw that they had stitched up the long cut along the vein. Krad looked around at them all. He wasn't going to explain a damn thing as they would think he was insane and frankly, the last thing Krad wanted was for the people he dared to call friends to think he should be locked away, hooked up to thorazine. Krad had had that happen to him once for a day. It had been fun but Krad couldn't see himself doing it for the rest of his life. He ran his hands through his hair, being as casual as he could about it, knowing that Dark or Emiko were going to the first to snap and ask him how he was or what was wrong with him. Then they would offer their help to him and Krad really didn't want to burden anyone at the moment. Especially not when the only person he thought would understand was Dark, who was still chewing on the thumbnail that was nonexistent at that point and was chewing the skin where the nail used to be.

It was Emiko. She had arrived at the hospital with Dark. They had ran through the rain and wind to get there so they could be beside him when he woke. Daisuke and Satoshi looked like death warmed over and she wanted to get them to bed as soon as possible but at the same time, she didn't want to leave Krad alone. She knew he wasn't suicidal as there was no way Krad would try to kill himself in his bed. The bed was Krad's sanctuary and she could understand that. Though, she wanted to go there so she could wash his bedding and see if she could get the bloodstains out of the whites. Of course, Krad would have to have a fascination with the only color that stained so easily. Emiko got to her feet and smiled down at Krad warmly, taking the blond by surprise.

"Daisuke, Satoshi, say goodnight. I'm taking you two back to the house so you can get some sleep. I'm sure it's past midnight now and you were here when Krad woke. No arguing. Trust me, Satoshi, you won't win against me." Emiko picked up her bag and watched as the two boys said goodnight to the bedridden angel, both of them giving him a hug. "Goodnight, Krad. We'll be by to pick you up tomorrow when they release you."

"Thank you, Emiko-san." Krad returned her smile and watched as she called out to Daiki and Kosuke. The men said goodnight and left, leaving Krad alone with, unbeknownst to him, the idiot that had put him in that bed in the first place. Krad rubbed his eyes again. _Why am I so tired? I just woke up._ Krad covered his mouth as he yawned. He gasped when he opened his eyes and Dark was in front of him.

"Krad, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry that I left you alone and I'm so sorry that this happened to you!" Dark took Krad's left hand in both of his and kissed it.

Krad pulled his hand back and wipe it off on the covers of the bed. "Dark, you're overreacting. As you can see, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired from blood loss but when I wake up tomorrow, I'll be right as rain." Krad beamed at his friend, patting his hands with one of his own.

Dark frowned and shook his head. How could Krad be like that? Surely the blond knew who was responsible for it and he was looking at the culprit. Krad either really didn't know what happened or was choosing to ignore it. Dark really hoped it was the first one. If Krad was choosing to ignore it, it could put a bit of a strain on their friendship before it even had a chance to blossom. Dark wanted to get Krad out of the hospital. The blond looked even sicklier in the bleached room and the smell was beginning to get to Dark. He hated hospitals. It was where most people went to die and he wasn't going to watch Krad die in one. If he had to break the blond out, he would.

Dark stood straight and took hold of Krad's collar, putting it on the blond. The red marks around the blond's throat weren't the nicest thing to look at. They looked angry and fearful but they were precise. If they were self-inflicted, Krad had gone through the corroded artery and the jugular. Dark got the feeling they were self-inflicted but decided to live with the hope that someone had just murdered Krad. Dark sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the window, watching as a branch of a tree was bashed against the pane violently. Dark closed his eyes and tilted his head back slightly. Even though they were in a hospital, Dark would admit it felt good to be that close to Krad again.

Krad looked at the insert of the I.V that was in his arm and sighed silently. He decided to look at the only thing in the room that had any color and that was Dark. When the purple haired teen tilted his back slightly, Krad reached out and stroked his hair softly. Dark smiled slightly and Krad wondered what the time was. Dark had to be exhausted. All of them probably were. And yet, Krad got the feeling the Emiko had probably gone back to the Hiwatari Mansion to clean his bedding. He would have to bake her something nice to thank her. Dark's hair was a lot silkier than Krad had imagined it to be. It always looked like such a mess that he was expecting it be coarse, like a horse's mane. There was a very, very vague scent of what smelt like eucalyptus.

To Krad, Dark seemed more at ease than he had the day before and Krad had to smile at that. It seemed that something good had happened to the dunkel engel and that seemed to sort out all the inner turmoil he was going through. Krad didn't know what it was but he could just feel that Dark had a lot going on inside his mind. Krad could relate to that. Since he woke up, Krad felt as though that had been the only time he could relax. The only thing he had to worry about was stroking Dark's hair. They didn't have to talk, the silence enveloping them was serene and Krad knew that if he kept it up, he would fall asleep again and he didn't want to. Not before Dark.

Dark chuckled and opened an eye, looking at Krad from the corner of it. "Looks like you got that sleep over you wanted."

Krad grinned and nodded. "I always get what I want in the end." Krad glanced at the door to the room and put the bandages on his wrists again, with help from Dark.

A male doctor entered the room and looked at the pair. They both looked terrible in his eyes but their eyes said differently. "Hikari, Krad?" The blond nodded. "We'd like to keep you here for forty-eight hours. We're not sure how the blood loss will effect your body, as there isn't much of it left. I'm surprised you woke up, to be honest. I guess there are miracles. You have a strong angel watching over you, Mr. Hikari."

Krad lowered his head as a dark blush spread over his cheeks. With his head lowered, his eyes slid over to Dark. His head suddenly snapped up and he stared at the doctor. "Forty-eight hours? Shouldn't I be healthy enough to leave in twenty-four?"

Dark chewed the inside of his bottom lip as the doctor looked through the chart. He waited impatiently for an answer, when the doctor finally looked up and sighed. "Mr. Hikari, you are _severely_ underweight, to the point of death. The blood loss can't be good for your brain, much less your lungs. We would like to keep you for forty-eight hours so we make sure that we don't miss anything."

Krad's eyes narrowed and Dark placed a hand on the blond's shoulder. "Twelve tests in one day isn't good enough?" Krad lowered his eyes. He didn't want to be in that room for two days. It was a childish fear, that was for sure but there aren't many people who didn't get a little scared when going to the hospital.

The doctor pinched the bridge of his nose, deciding they didn't pay him enough to deal with difficult patients. "Mr. Hikari, I'm sure you would like to be out of here by tomorrow but because of the condition you let your body slip into, you could drop dead at any moment." He opened his eyes and stared at the teenager. "If it were up to me, I would keep you here for a month and fatten you up, then send you home. Lucky for you I'm not the head doctor." He wrote something down in the chart and stepped closer to the bed. "Forty-eight hours is the minimum for someone in your condition. You will need to get yourself into the habit of eating, decent meals, too. Not just a handful of nuts every other day."

Krad glared at the doctor, who actually took a step back. "I don't know when to eat or what to eat, okay?" Krad tried to ignore the embarrassment of that statement but it wasn't working.

"I can give you some hints and give you a chart of which foods you should eat the most of and which you should eat the least of. I would also like to schedule you in once every two weeks so I can make sure that you are putting weight on." He made another note in the chart and glanced at the blond, grateful to see that the glare had died off and he was looking up at his boyfriend. The purple haired teen nodded and Krad sighed.

"Okay. Every two weeks, Friday, at six-thirty, in the evening." Krad watched as the doctor made a note of the day and time and nodded. "Until then, could I get something to eat or drink? I'm fucking starving."

The doctor nodded. "Oh, I'm Doctor Machetjkz." He saw the blank look on their faces and chuckled. "Everyone calls me Match, though. Anyway, I'm sure your boyfriend –"

"We're just friends," they said in unison.

Match raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Okay. There's a cafeteria way, way, way down the hall, if you want to get him something _small_."

"Small? I could almost eat a horse, though!" Krad complained.

Match nodded and closed the chart. "I know. But if you eat too much too soon, especially considering those nuts you had yesterday I'm sure were the only solid food you've had in at least two weeks, your body will reject anything that's too big. A cup of jelly should do the trick for now."

Krad pouted but nodded. Doctors knew best, sometimes. Krad still didn't trust them but after knowing he could die at any moment that was enough to snap him out of his no-eating phase. He was still going to be vegetarian, though and even Satoshi enjoyed their veggie night, which was every Saturday. Krad chewed his lower lip as his gaze fell to his hands, which were folded in his lap since Dark had walked out with Match. Krad shifted and looked around. There wasn't even a magazine for him to read while he waited for Dark to get back.

"Look, doc, I didn't want to ask this in front of him but is there a good chance he'll survive the next forty-eight hours?" Dark glanced over his shoulder and saw that Krad was looking very bored.

Match nodded. "Of course there is. He's survived tonight and that's usually the most critical. Your boyfriend –"

"We're just friends," Dark said.

"Your friend has a strong will to live, which is strange considering what he's been doing to his body. I would've thought he wanted to die." Match smiled and walked off, in the opposite direction from the way Dark was heading.

Dark walked down the long hall to the end. He picked up a small cup of jelly and paid for it. He would've thought Krad wanted to die as well. But the blond kept fighting. Maybe that was an instinct in Krad, to always fight, even if it was him that was doing the damage. It would certainly explain why Krad was like a damn cockroach. Dark stopped outside of an open door, hearing a woman talking. He looked in and saw a girl, probably nineteen years old, holding the hand of an older woman.

Dark tilted his head to the side as he listened in. The woman was the girl's mother and she was just telling her anything and everything. From how violent the weather was for that time of year to how she got an A on her biology test. The girl turned to get something out of her bag and saw Dark. Dark had to blink. She had long, jet black hair; it was down to her rear. She had almond shaped, gold eyes. She smiled at him and whispered a 'hello'. She got her purse out and told her mother she would be right back and that she was just going to get a drink.

Dark smiled at her as she approached. "How long has she been in a coma for?" he asked sympathetically.

"Three months. The doctor said that my voice should help bring her back. I'm Hitomi." She gave Dark a smile that made him grin.

"I'm Dark."

Hitomi's eyes lowered to the jelly he was holding. "Is that for you or…?"

Dark blinked and followed her gaze, grinning sheepishly. "It's for my friend. I had better see if he's still awake. Would you like to join me? If he's asleep, maybe we could get a cup of coffee in the cafeteria?"

Hitomi bit her lower lip and glanced over her shoulder at her mother. What was half an hour? "Sure. That sounds wonderful."

Dark nodded and led the way back to Krad's room. He stepped inside the room and saw that Krad had fallen asleep. Hitomi stood beside him, looking at the pale form in the bed. Her gold eyes softened as she saw the bandages around his wrists. She couldn't imagine someone's life being so bad they would have to resort to that kind of action to be free from it.

"He's beautiful," she whispered, scared of waking the sleeping boy.

Dark smirked almost smugly. Someone, other than himself, thought that Krad was beautiful. He glanced at Hitomi but then again, so was she. Her gold eyes really stood out with the black hair but they weren't the same shade Krad's were. Hitomi's were at least four shades darker but still amazing, nonetheless. He looked back at Krad and pulled the covers over him a little more, earning him a groan. Dark shook his head and walked out of the room beside Hitomi and down the hall. They reached the cafeteria and Hitomi ordered a coffee, while Dark just decided to eat the jelly.

When Hitomi had her coffee they sat down and she added a packet of sugar to her coffee, stirring it and staring off to the right. "How long has your friend been like that?"

"A month," Dark answered, opening the jelly and picking up the spoon. "He and I were going through a bit of a rough patch."

Hitomi blinked. "O-oh…So you and he are like…that?" She raised her eyebrows suggestively and Dark almost choked on the jelly.

"N-no! No, we're just friends."

Hitomi blushed softly and Dark smiled. "I'm sorry. When you said 'rough patch', I thought you meant in your relationship. Is that why he…did that to himself?"

"Did what?"

"Um…what he did to his wrists." Hitomi didn't want to say: 'Is that why he slashed the fuck out of his wrists, so you would notice him?' It was not only extremely rude but she didn't know the boy in front of her and wasn't sure what their 'friendship' was like. The last thing she wanted to do was insult either of them.

"No, Krad isn't suicidal. That was done to him while he was asleep. He didn't get a look at the person who did it, though." Dark finished off the jelly and left the rubbish on the table until they were going to leave.

"His name is Krad? That's a unique name." Hitomi took a sip of her coffee.

"Yeah. He's had a lot of hardships in his life. But it's like as soon as he gets rid of one, another comes along. I'm trying my hardest to help him but it just seems that I'm getting in the way. Like I'm part of the problem instead of the solution." Dark sighed wearily. Hitomi was everything that Dark had imagined for a girl but she wasn't Krad.

"I'm sure that's not true. He at least knows you care about him, otherwise you wouldn't still be here at two in the morning. In a way, he's a lot like my mother. He just needs that caring voice to guide him back when he goes too far, if you know what I mean." Hitomi offered Dark a kind smile and it was returned.

"I know. I just think he's very confused at the moment. I know I was yesterday, but I had my mum and dad to talk to. He lives with his younger brother and they get along fine but Krad knows that the problems he's going through would be too much for Satoshi." Dark ran his hands through his hair. "I know he can't talk to me about it because it's because of me that he's confused."

Krad wasn't the only that was confused; Hitomi wasn't fairing much better. "Can I ask what he's confused about? I know I'm a stranger, but maybe I can shine a new light on the situation."

Dark crossed his arms on the table and smiled. "That would be awesome, actually. Krad and I used to be enemies and I mean, in every fight I would get a broken rib or something like that. Then something happen and we found out we were in the same boat. I found out he was tired of fighting with me and to be honest, I felt the same way. I mean, we've known each other all our lives but I don't know a thing about him."

Hitomi nodded slowly, thinking it through. Dark had been as vague as he could be about what had happened between them. Maybe that's what Krad was confused about. "What was the 'something' that happened?"

Dark thought as quickly as he could in his current state. "A car accident," he lied. "We both lost someone we cared about deeply. He was pretty much our father."

Hitomi put her cup down and reached across the table, taking one of Dark's hands and squeezing it gently. "I'm so sorry. I think that's what he might be confused about. He's probably having a hard time showing the right emotions about the situation and is getting frustrated that he's always showing the wrong one."

"No, he's only showing one emotion at the moment and that's perplexity. I mean, he was the one who wanted to be my friend. I don't mean it like a bad thing but I don't think he's ever had a friend in his entire life. He was always surrounded by people but I don't think he felt like he was part of the crowd. I want to help him through it but I don't have the slightest idea on where to start." Dark rubbed an eye with the hand that Hitomi wasn't holding.

Hitomi pulled her hand back and looked thoughtful as she took another sip of her coffee. "It's hard to believe that you're his first friend in his whole life. He seems like such a sweet person." She put the cup down again and looked into Dark's eyes. "I don't know how to be a 'good friend' but all I can recommend for being a great friend is to just be there for him. I mean, he looks like he's only fifteen so you might have to hold his hand for a little bit, until he gets used to the world."

"Krad is seventeen and he knows all about the world. He knows almost all of the ways it can fuck him over. And you're right, he is a sweet person." _When he wants to be, otherwise he could kill you with a look._ "But, I don't know if I can always be there for him. I mean, most of my confusion is gone but I'm very attracted to him and I'm scared I might do something to hurt him." Dark raised an eyebrow slightly. It had been easier to tell a stranger that he was attracted to Krad than it was the people that cared about him.

Hitomi blinked and then stared at Dark. "Um…I don't think you could do anything to hurt him. I think the problem with Krad might be that he's putting too much of his trust in you and you're feeling like you're going to betray that trust. I'm pretty sure that once Krad gets well enough, he'll tell you where his limit is and then it's up to you to follow it."

"I guess that's my problem, I'm used to getting what I want when I want it. I'm by no means a spoilt brat." Dark grinned sheepishly again.

"You're the Phantom Thief, aren't you? I'm surprised you haven't been arrested." Hitomi shook her head, unable to believe who she was talking to.

"Claim it was a lookalike and they couldn't find any evidence to lock me away. And it was a little while ago, so it became a cold ca –"

"_Dark!_"

Dark was already half way down the hall by the time Hitomi had even registered what had happened. Dark stepped into the room and looked around. There was something there. Match came running into the room, panting and looking around. He asked what had happened and Krad just shook his head, saying that he had a nightmare. Match looked like he was about to have a heart attack but smiled and left the room.

When he was sure they were alone, Dark ran over to Krad's bed and looked him over. Krad pulled the blankets back to show his right ankle. There was a red handprint on the flawless skin and bruising was already appearing around it. Dark gingerly touched the mark and Krad hissed softly. Dark whispered out an apology. He stepped out into the hall and looked around for a nurse's cart or something he could use to bandage the burn. After a short walk, Dark found what he wanted. He looked through the drawers and got antibacterial wipes and a bandage. He ran back to the room, not wanting to leave Krad alone for too long in case whatever had grabbed him came back.

Dark closed the door and locked it, going over to the bed. He could explain it to Hitomi later, if she was still there when Dark was finished with Krad. He wiped the burn, Krad flinching in pain and trying not to move. He wrapped the bandage around the joint and looked around. It felt like they were alone but Dark wasn't going to take any chances, especially not when it got violent towards Krad. Lowering the guards on the sides of the bed, Dark sat on the edge, wrapping an arm around Krad protectively. His eyes widened when Krad suddenly burst into tears.

Dark held Krad close, laying on the bed, stroking Krad's hair. Dark looked down at the blond that was trying to burrow into his chest, crying like a child who had skinned its knee. Dark would ask Krad about it later but right now, the blond needed someone to protect him and even though Dark wasn't fully up to the challenge, he would do the best he could.

"What's going on, Dark?" Krad asked through his sobs and Dark honestly couldn't answer him. He was just as clueless as Krad was.

* * *

Dark woke up when he felt the bed shift ever so slightly. He opened his eyes and saw that Krad was sitting on the edge of the bed with a cup of jelly. Dark felt a smile tugging his lips when he remembered Hitomi's words earlier that day. _"I can't believe you're his first friend."_ Dark couldn't, either. Sure, Krad was friends with Miyuki but Miyuki would never know the half of Krad that only Dark knew. For some reason, Dark felt a strange sense of pride spark in place of where the jealousy had been, four days earlier. Dark shook his head when Krad started humming as he ate his jelly. He sounded like a child and from behind, he looked like one. Dark was just happy to see Krad eating something, even if it was only gelatin and flavoring. Krad could really act childishly when he thought no one was looking. And again, Dark found himself wishing he carried a camera around.

Dark stretched and moaned quietly, sitting up. The bed was horribly uncomfortable but Dark felt well rested, which was strange, considering the night he had before. He tapped Krad on the shoulder and blond turned around, grinning. Dark cried out in surprise and fell off the bed, peeking over to the side. Krad was looking at him like he had gone crazy but Dark wasn't the one who was wearing clown make up. With a sigh, Dark got to his feet and shook his head. It was too early in the morning to deal with Krad dressed as a clown.

"Are you okay, Dark? You look like you saw a ghost." Krad finished his jelly and put the little cup in the bin beside the bed.

Dark rubbed his eyes. "Why the fuck are you wearing clown make up?"

Krad touched his lips and looked at the red splotches on his fingertips and grinned. "I was helping out in pediatrics today while you slept. I guess I forgot about it."

"What time is it?"

Krad shrugged. "I think its like seven thirty or something like that. You slept the whole day away."

_And not one nightmare, either._ Dark nodded. "Okay, go wash that shit off your face and then I'm going to get something to eat."

Dark sat on the bed as he waited for Krad to look normal again. It was weird to see the blond with a giant red grin on his face and poorly done blush. Dark hoped he would _never_ have to wake up to that again. He hated clowns. There was always something eerie about a person who wore so much make up. That could be why Dark was attracted to Miyuki. She was the only girl in school who no make up, not even lip balm. He preferred girls that weren't concerned with their looks. A minute later, Krad walked out, pulling a sweater over his head. He looked at Dark and smiled.

"Come on, let's get something to eat."

Dark hopped off the bed and walked beside Krad as they went towards the cafeteria. It was a lot busier than it had been at two in the morning. Dark piled his tray up with almost anything he could get his hands on and even got a salad for Krad. He paid and saw the blond was looking out a window, jumping up and down as if he was trying to see over something. Dark found an empty table and sat down, waiting for Krad to join him. Fifteen minutes later Krad was sitting opposite Dark, picking at the salad.

"Eat some of the salad, Krad," Dark said through clenched teeth. He wasn't going to let Krad stop eating again because he was thinking about something.

Krad slowly ate the salad and Dark smiled vaguely. If only Krad would listen to him more often, they would probably have to see the doctor twice and then never again. Krad jumped to his feet when one of the workers dropped a tray of cutlery. Dark frowned and placed a hand on Krad's shoulder, getting him to sit down again. Whatever Krad had seen outside that window had put him on edge and Dark was curious. He wouldn't question Krad about it, just yet. He had to ask the blond some other things first. Krad was usually the kind of person to get angry when something scared him.

"Why did you cry this morning, Krad?"

Krad raised his head and glared at Dark. He had eaten half the salad and that was enough for him. "Why does it matter why I cried?"

That was more like the normal Krad. "I'm worried, Krad. You've never cried in front of me before."

Krad pushed the salad away, his glare intensifying. "So I'm not allowed to break. Is that what you're saying? I'm not allowed to, for once, cry and lean on someone? Well, fuck you, Mousy!"

Dark sat there, his eyes wide. He could feel everyone's attention on him as Krad stormed out of the cafeteria. That really hadn't gone the way Dark wanted it to but at the same time, he knew it was going to end up like that. It was probably why Krad had so much anger in him because he never knew how to vent it before. Dark finished eating as the other people went to their meals, as well. He took his time, not wanting to confront Krad when the blond was angry. Especially since Krad was eating and had more energy in him. Dark wasn't suicidal.

Dark walked down the hall and stopped outside of the room that Hitomi's mother was in. He could see that Hitomi's bag was on the chair but the girl was nowhere around. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around, seeing Hitomi there. She offered a small smile before she jumped right to the questions.

"Are you okay? Is Krad okay? What was that fight about?"

Dark blinked and figured she must have been in the cafeteria. He shrugged. "Krad did something I've never known him to do before and I asked him about it. He reacted the way I expected him to but he said something I didn't expect. He's being very confusing at the moment."

Hitomi pursed her lips in thought. She decided it would be best if she asked direct questions since Dark was terrible at explaining situations. She had seen the look on Krad's face and was shocked by it, then the blond had glared at Dark. It looked out of place on his delicate features. She hadn't heard anything that had been said until Krad shouted and stormed off. It was done in a way that reminded Hitomi of a little kid telling his parents to go fuck themselves because he wasn't getting what he wanted.

"What did he do that he normally doesn't?" she asked, stepping into the room and motioning for Dark to follow. She sat on the edge of the bed and Dark sat in the chair.

"He cried. Usually when he's scared, Krad overrules his fear with anger, at least that's what I've known him to do, whenever we used to fight and I was going to win." Dark sighed and looked apologetically at Hitomi. "I'm sorry. Every time we see each other, all I seem to do is dump my problems on you."

Hitomi laughed softly, her eyes sparkling. "It's okay, Dark. I have no problem with it, at all. In fact, I'm used to it. Everyone tells me what a great listener I am and to be honest, I like helping people. So, if listening to you talk about your problems with Krad will get you some advice on what to do, I say you roll with it."

Dark smirked and nodded. "Thanks, Hitomi. Damn, your friends must be missing you like crazy!"

Hitomi waved a hand, like it didn't matter. "Some of them were around earlier. Now, what did Krad say to you before he shouted at you and ran off?"

"I asked him why he cried," Dark replied with a shrug. "He then asked me why it mattered and I told him I was worried about him, because, fuck! We've known each other since the day we were created and never _once_ had he cried in front of me. So, I told him that and I don't think it was the best thing to have said. He said something about not being allowed to break and then said 'fuck you' and left."

Hitomi raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't show his emotions much, does he?"

Dark shook his head. "No, not really." Then he groaned. "I really am an idiot, aren't I?"

Hitomi gave a painful smile and nodded. "Yeah…Just a little. Look, go talk to him and tell him he doesn't have to hide anything from you anymore." When Dark thanked her and left the room, she moved to the chair and added to herself quietly, "Please try to act mature about it."

Dark got to Krad's room and saw that the door was open. He poked his head around the side and peered in. Krad was on the bed, reading one of the dozen books someone dropped of while Dark had been sleeping. Thinking quickly, Dark ran to the cafeteria and got a cup of jelly and spoon. He went back to Krad's room and decided the best way to get anything he wanted was to bride the other with something they liked. He hoped Krad liked red jelly. Taking a deep breath, Dark walked into the room and slammed the cup of jelly on the bedside chest, making Krad jump.

"Look, if you wanna break down, you go ahead and break down, okay? But don't get pissy with me because I was worried that you were possessed again!" Dark shouted, not exactly pleased that Krad had gone off at him in the cafeteria.

Hitomi could hear the shouting from the room her mother was in and sighed. "Yeah, real mature, both of you."

Dark saw tears begin to rim Krad's eyes but the blond blinked and they were, anger swirling in gold orbs instead. "Dark, would you learn to shut the fuck up? Or better yet, why don't you just leave so I don't have to deal your idiocy!"

Dark's eyes narrowed. "Oh, fuck you, Krad! You know I couldn't leave even if I wanted to. You would be powerless without my strength and don't deny it!"

"Exactly. So you either deal with my tantrums or piss off. I don't give a shit." Krad went back to reading his book and Dark walked out of the room. He didn't go to see Hitomi, instead, he went outside and walked down the street to a park.

_How could Emiko even think that I was in love with that childish bitch?_ Dark stared at the pond, watching the rain make ripples on the surface. The weather wasn't as violent as he had been but it wasn't exactly gentle, either. As long as it didn't start hailing, Dark knew he would be fine getting a little wet. _Because you are. You just don't want to admit it._ Dark hated his heart sometimes. He had tried to be nice to Krad and all that had gotten him was a pissed off, homicidal blond that would have no problem killing him in his sleep.

_I'll admit I love a childish bitch! Why does he have to be so confusing?_ Dark groaned and tilted his head back, closing his eyes. He hated everything about the way Krad made him feel and Dark knew that there really wouldn't be anyone else who could make him that way. There were flings but they were only brief. None of them actually lasted that long, especially when Dark moved to another host. The only person Dark could always count on being around was Krad. And that was bad if you looked forward to being around a demonic, delusional, homicidal blond that you called 'friend'. Dark knew he had a few problems of his own but none of them could even come close to Krad's.

_What was it like to be hated by everyone you inhabited?_ Dark asked himself, trying to put himself in Krad's shoes. It failed, miserably as he couldn't imagine what it would like to be hated by anyone. Of course, he had been hated by Krad but now it just seemed that the blond was only pissed off at him and Dark could live with that. After all, all he had to do was make Krad realize his feelings and they could get…_Stop right there! What am I thinking? Krad doesn't feel anything!_ Dark frowned slightly. _Or does he? Is he angry at me because he doesn't want to admit he has feelings for me?_ Dark groaned. He was beginning to get annoyed at all the questions he never seemed to have answers for. And it was always Krad's fault. The blond was the only thing in Dark's life that he was unsure of.

Dark's head fell forward when someone sat next to him. He didn't care who it was as long as they didn't try to talk to him. He could hear the rain pattering on their umbrella and sighed. He probably should've gotten his umbrella. If he got sick, Krad would kill him. If he did anything besides breathe, Krad would kill him. At least he could be sure of that when it came to the blond. Dark opened his eyes, not feeling at all very safe with that person sitting beside him suddenly. He glanced at the person and jumped to his feet in surprise.

"Ito? What the fuck are you doing here?"

The man looked up and smiled at Dark. "You've gotten a lot better."

Dark forced himself not to vomit at the man's smile. Dark couldn't understand why he always felt sick whenever that creep smiled. "Yeah, I got over it today. You were on your way to the hospital, weren't you?"

Ito nodded. "Yes. I was going to check up on Mr. Hikari, just to make sure he was doing okay." The man got to his feet and started to head towards the hospital, passing close by Dark. A little too close for the dunkel engel's liking.

Dark didn't like any of it. _Why the hell is he checking up on Krad? How did he even know Krad was in the hospital? Oh…Emiko must've called the school to let them know._ Dark turned and followed Ito back to the hospital, not trusting the shifty bastard alone with Krad. Being as weak as he was, Krad wouldn't be able to fight off a fully grown man. Hell, Krad could barely fight off Dark. That wasn't true, Krad _couldn't_ fight off Dark and he was half the weight of Ito. When at the hospital, Dark shook his hair and continued on to Krad's room, waving at the hospital staff, while Ito had to ask for directions.

Dark stepped into the room and Krad looked up with a glare but lost it when he saw that Dark was completely soaked. He put the book down and got to his feet, rushing over to Dark. "What happened?" he asked, approaching, only for his right ankle to give out and him to go crashing to the floor just in front of Dark's feet.

"Accident prone, I swear," Dark said as he helped Krad to his feet. He quickly snatched his hands back when Krad's felt colder than his own. "What the hell is up with your hands, Krad?"

"I have poor blood circulation. My hands and feet are always ice cold." Krad went into the bathroom and got a towel, handing it to Dark, who dried his hair and wrapped it around his shoulders. Krad's eyes went wide when someone stood in the doorway to his room.

Dark turned around and moved so he was standing beside Krad. He glared at Ito and was surprised when Krad took his hand, squeezing it. Dark could feel the slight tremors that Krad's hand was doing and frowned a little. _Is Krad scared of this douchebag? He shouldn't be._ Dark and Krad took a step back when Ito invited himself into the room, looking around. There wasn't anything to look at, except for the books that were neatly arranged by the side of the bed.

"Mr. Ito! What are you doing here?" Krad tightened his hold on Dark's hand.

The man looked over his shoulder, smiling warmly and all Dark wanted to scream was 'phony'. It felt fake because the man was not producing an aura of warmth. It was cold and slimy, like Dark always knew the bastard was like. He was grateful that Ito had to sign in at the desk. God knows what that man would've done to Krad if he hadn't been there. Krad seemed really grateful to have Dark there, too.

"I was just making sure that you were doing okay. I heard that you tried to commit suicide."

Krad lowered his eyes, not before noticing that Ito's flickered to the holding hands. "Yeah. But with Dark beside me, I know I'll be able to get over my depression. I know he'll never leave my side." Krad glanced at Dark, crimson spreading over his cheeks and nose with a shy smile.

Ito raised an eyebrow, seeing the confusion in Dark's eyes. "If you ever need someone to talk to, Krad, I'm –"

"I doubt it. Please leave. I would like to get some sleep."

Dark was amazed at how sweet Krad had said all of that. He was better at acting than Dark gave him credit for. Ito nodded and left, saying something about seeing them in school on Monday. Dark decided he no longer wanted to attend school and he didn't want Krad to go on his own, either. Unless Krad decided he didn't want to attend, Dark would be forced to go. It sucked and he felt like a normal kid. Until then…

"Krad?"

Krad pulled his hand free and went back to the bed. "Emiko dropped some clothing off for you. I would suggest you have a shower and change before you catch a cold."

Dark nodded and picked up the bag that contained his clothing and went into the bathroom, closing the door. He stripped out of his wet gear and turned the shower on, sighing quietly. _Did he only say all of that to get Ito off his back? It was nice hearing him talk about me like I wasn't an annoyance. Actually, that's the only time I've heard him talk about me._ Dark stepped into the shower, enjoying the warmth. He washed quickly and got out, using the towel that Krad had handed him to dry his body. He dressed in jeans and a sweater, same as Krad, and left the bathroom, turning the light off.

Dark watched Krad read for a few minutes before he stepped up to the bed and sat on the edge of it. He glanced at the title of the book and wondered how Krad could read about something he lived through. Dark wanted to know if what Krad had said about turning to him was true or just a bunch of shit. "Hey, Krad?"

"Mm?" Krad looked up when Dark didn't say anything else but continued to stare at the floor. Krad put his book down and moved onto his knees, going to place a hand on Dark's forehead.

Dark slapped Krad's wrist, scared by the bandages and the fact he was responsible for them. There wasn't even a flinch from Krad and Dark raised an eyebrow. "Didn't that hurt?"

Krad shook his head. "It didn't last night when you looked at them, either. It's strange, but I'll go with it. So, what did you want to tell me?"

"I wanted to ask you something, actually…"

Krad smiled. "I know what you're going to ask. I said it to get him to leave and that's because I'm sure you don't want to be by my side twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week." Krad laid down, putting his book on the bedside chest, then yawned and stretched.

Dark stood so Krad could get under the covers and went over to the other side of the small bed. He sat beside Krad and gently stroked the blond's hair. Krad's arm went around Dark's hips and pulled him a little closer so he could use the soft, warm abdomen as a pillow. Dark grinned down at the blond and closed his eyes, still stroking the silky strands. "I wouldn't mind being around you that often," he said softly and heard Krad snort. "God damn it! You were meant to be asleep before I said that!"

"Oh, Dark! You're so sappy and such a romantic!" Krad crowed dramatically, sitting up. "Why don't you say that while I'm awake?"

"Because it is fucking sappy!" Dark was grateful for his tanned skin so Krad wouldn't see the blush that was on his cheeks.

"Are you hiding something?"

"No."

"Okay." Krad went back into the position he was in before Dark decided to break the silence of the room with a cheesy one-liner. He closed his eyes and fell asleep quickly and missed Dark saying, 'I just think I love you.'

* * *

Krad was woken by a pain in his abdomen and figured he was hungry. He sat up and glanced at the spot beside him, seeing that Dark wasn't there. Not thinking about it, Krad got out of the bed and padded out of the room, down the hall. He stopped when he heard Dark's voice and looked into a room. He saw his friend talking with a girl. Krad smiled and continued on to the cafeteria. He picked up a fruit salad and headed back to the room. He turned and saw Dark and the girl walking into the cafeteria.

"Hey, Krad." Dark walked up to the blond and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Hitomi, this is Krad. Krad, this is Hitomi."

"Hi," Krad said sleepily. "Why are you in here?"

Hitomi smiled. "I'm keeping my mother company while I wait for her to wake up," she said softly.

Krad nodded and yawned. "What brings you two here?"

"Hitomi wanted a hot chocolate and I wanted a coffee. Why are you awake?" Dark looked at the fruit salad that Krad was holding and smiled at him.

Hitomi watched as Krad said that he woke up hungry. The blond really did seem like such a sweet boy and he looked a lot younger than Dark said he was. In fact, he seemed to be looking younger each time Hitomi saw him. At that moment, Krad looked like he was twelve instead of seventeen. Dark was like an older brother and Hitomi frowned slightly. Seeing Krad awake, the two of them had a lot of similarities and could _almost_ be fraternal twins. It was strange that five minutes ago, Dark was complaining about not knowing how Krad felt about him and that it was making him more confused. But as she watched them, Hitomi knew that Dark wasn't confused about his feelings. He was just confused about how to show them.

"It's cold in there!" Krad whined sleepily, giving a soft pout.

"Aww. You can stay with us, then." Hitomi wasn't sure if they were talking about the same thing but she had noticed that there were a lot of cold spots around the hospital, which was to be expected. However, she was no expecting something to push her when she was the only one in her mother's room.

"Hitomi, he needs to rest," Dark said, hinting that he wasn't finished complaining.

"He can rest on you, then. I'm sure that once he's finished his fruit he'll go to sleep." Hitomi hinted that they could continue when Krad was asleep, even if they were in the cafeteria and a couple of the doctors were taking a quick break.

Dark sighed and nodded. "Krad, go sit at a table. Hitomi and I will be right there." Dark watched as Krad wandered over to a table and sat down. He ordered a hot chocolate and coffee and as they waited, he glanced at Hitomi, who was staring at Krad. "Is everything okay?"

Hitomi nodded. "Yeah…Does he look younger to you?"

"I think he's put on like half a kilo. He'll look much younger when he's at the right weight for someone of his age and height. Right now, he looks older than he is." Dark's gaze turned to Krad and he smiled.

Hitomi raised an eyebrow. Krad seemed to look younger every time she saw him. Maybe it was because she wasn't around him as often as Dark was. "At least he's put a little weight on. If you keep on him about eating, I'm sure you'll have him healthy in no time."

Dark handed Hitomi her hot chocolate and smiled. "Unless he gets pissy with me again." He picked up his coffee and the pair of them headed to the table where Krad was. Dark sat beside Krad and opened the salad for him.

Hitomi took a seat opposite of Krad and smiled across at the blond when he looked at her. He returned the gesture with a downsized one and went back to eating his salad. Hitomi bit the corner of her bottom lip. Krad did look really tired and he was eating his salad slowly. She hoped there was nothing else on his mind. She really didn't want to keep Dark from him but knew that Dark wasn't done bitching and moaning about the blond. She honestly couldn't think of a thing for him to complain about. He was just too adorable!

Dark opened his mouth to say something but Krad whispered first, "I can see why you were named Hitomi."

Hitomi blushed softly as she grinned. "Thank you, Krad. I will say though, my eyes have nothing on yours. Your eyes look like sunlight shining through a topaz." Krad looked up at her and half-smiled shyly before he put a grape in his mouth. "So, you were saying something about failing a test, Dark?"

Dark nodded, tearing his eyes away from Krad. "Yeah. Ito is a complete douche nozzle. I mean, school doesn't break for another five months, so why are we having tests? He's a fucking sadist."

Hitomi nodded. "Some teachers are just like that. My calculus teacher is a bitch. If it isn't a pop quiz, it's a test or some impossible problem." She sighed and took a drink of her hot chocolate.

"But it sucked that I missed the test. Krad tried to tutor me for it and I think most of what he said sunk in, until I found out it would be mainly chemistry and I'm pretty decent with that." Dark looked at Krad when the blond tugged on his jacket sleeve. He lent in so Krad could whisper in his ear. He moved the chair back a little and Krad sat on his lap, curling up against him and closing his eyes.

Hitomi felt as though she was intruding on a special moment but couldn't bring herself to look away. It was such a cute scene and she wished she had brought her bag so she could take a picture of it. Of course, she doubted that Dark would like that idea. She had to stop herself from getting all weird and cooing 'Aww' when Dark removed his jacket and placed it around Krad. Krad's hand gripped Dark's shirt for a few minutes before it relaxed and they took that as the sign that Krad was asleep.

"Dark, you're not confused about Krad's feelings towards you. I think it _might_ be mutual. Of course, I don't know him as well as you do, even if you were enemies not that long ago. But if you feel that strongly for him, I doubt that he wouldn't feel at least something for you." Hitomi took another sip of her hot chocolate.

Dark finished off his coffee, sighing quietly. Sometimes, the softest sound could wake Krad. "You really should be a psychiatrist. You seem to know what's going on with me better than I do."

Hitomi chuckled. "Sometimes you just feel a connection with someone. I felt with you because you're going through a lot of pain, just like I am. Only, your pain can be helped, sometimes, just by talking about it. I'm not saying that by talking about all your feelings, everything will be better but it might help you decide which choice is the right action."

Krad groaned and moved slightly. Dark tightened his grip. "I know. But with Krad, I don't know how he's going to react. He could freak out and shout at me and tell me he never wants to see me again. If that happened, I don't know what I would do."

Hitomi nodded and glanced down at Krad. "I don't think he would do that, though. Again, I haven't known him as long as you have, so I could be completely wrong. But, he honestly doesn't seem like the kind of person to do that. He might get a little angry but if what you say about him getting angry to hide his fear is true, then you won't have anything to worry about." She smiled.

"Thanks, Hitomi," he said softly. "I had better get him back to bed and get some sleep myself. You could do with it, too."

Hitomi nodded and they stood. She went to her mother's room and Dark took Krad to his room. He laid the blond on the bed, under the covers. Dark kicked his shoes off and crawled in beside Krad, holding him close. He closed his eyes and wondered what Krad would do if he told the pale angel what he felt for him. His mind played out the worse scenarios imaginable and his heart played out the best scenarios. Dark wanted to go with his heart but had a bad feeling that his brain might be onto something. After all, love was one of the emotions that scared Krad the most about humans. Was he still scared of it? Dark wanted to find out.

* * *

Dark moaned as something brushed past his lips. He could feel someone trying to remove his arm but took hold of their hand and rolled onto his stomach, pinning the person beneath him. He dipped his head and licked along a collar bone, hearing a soft gasp. He kissed up a neck and froze when he felt lace and leather. He jerked his head up and opened his eyes, staring down at Krad's sparking eyes. The blond looked really pissed.

Dark didn't move, though. He just gazed back blankly, wanting to know how Krad would react. If it went badly, Dark could blame it on a dream. If it went well, maybe he could continue but not in the hospital. A nurse walked in and paused, turned and walked back out, deciding that whatever she was going to say could wait until later. Since Krad wasn't doing anything, Dark looked the blond over. His lips were slightly parted and Dark saw the exposed collar bone he had licked, smirking to himself.

Krad got more agitated as he felt a blush creeping up to his cheeks. He had just tried to move so he could go to the bathroom and Dark decided to act weirder than usual. It wasn't unpleasant, it was just strange and Krad wasn't sure how he was feeling. He settled for the only feeling he was well acquainted with and narrowed his eyes at Dark.

"Are you waiting for engraved invitation telling you to get off me?" he demanded, still fighting the blush. He failed and Dark didn't seem ready to move any time soon. Krad bit his lip, trying to keep a moan back as Dark kissed under his jaw. "Dark, I'm hungry."

Dark blinked and pulled back. He knelt between Krad's legs and stared down at the blushing blond, who couldn't get off the bed quick enough. Dark shook his head and rubbed his eyes. _What the hell was I doing?_ Dark was waiting to see which of his organs would respond first. _You were trying to have some fun,_ his brain replied. _You took it too far, though,_ his heart stated. Dark heard the shower turn on and sighed. Krad was being released that day and the blond seemed to be happy about eating. He had been studying the charts that Match had given him.

Dark got off the bed and waited by the bathroom door. In a few minutes, Krad stepped out, towel around his chest, another one drying his hair. He blushed a dark garnet when Dark put his hand on his chest, stopping him. Dark knew he probably didn't have to apologize but he felt he had to. He didn't want Krad to think he was actually some kind of pervert, when he wasn't. Maybe just a little and that was with girls, considering Dark had never found a male he was attracted to enough to do that kind of thing with.

"Krad, I'm sorry about before…Are you blushing?"

"No!"

Dark smirked. "I think you are," he taunted, his hand moving to a shoulder.

"I'm not!"

Dark tilted Krad's head up. "You are! Your face is all red!"

"That's a drinking problem!"

Dark raised an eyebrow and Krad hung his head again. "Don't beat yourself up about it, Krad." Dark dipped his head and kissed Krad on the cheek, slipping into the bathroom and closing the door. Dark relieved his bladder and got the shower going. He decided to give Krad more than enough time to get dressed and to see the doctor. That would be the only appointment Krad would have in the morning.

Dark closed his eyes as the water ran over his body. He washed himself quickly and stepped out, turning the shower off. He roughly dried his hair and body and stepped out into the room. The door was closed and Krad was gone. Dark dressed in black jeans and a sleeveless turtleneck. He shook his hair and dumped the towel on the bed and left the room. He asked a passing nurse if she knew where Krad was and pointed him in the right direction towards Match's office. Dark took his time to get there and waited outside. He wasn't waiting long as Krad left, grinning.

Dark stared at him. That was the first time Dark had ever seen Krad with his hair down. "Good news?" Dark asked, placing an arm around Krad's shoulders as they walked back to the room.

Krad nodded happily. "I've gained three quarters of a kilo!"

Dark smiled. "That's awesome, Krad. Keep it up, okay?"

Krad nodded again and ran to the room. Dark stopped where he was and raised an eyebrow. _Great. Krad with energy. Just what we need,_ he thought sarcastically as he continued on his way. He looked out the window of the room and saw that the sun was shining. That was another plus. At least they would be able to walk back to Satoshi's place. Dark snorted as he began packing up his clothing. Krad had too much crap with him for them to walk back.

"Are you two decent?" Emiko asked, stepping into the room without an answer. She grinned at them. "If you hurry, you can still make it in time for second period!"

Dark groaned but quickly stuffed his clothing into the bag and helped Krad put away his books. They left the hospital but Dark stopped. He told them he would be right back and ran down the hall to Hitomi's mother's room. Seeing that the girl wasn't there and her bag was gone, Dark quickly scribbled down a note, thanking her for listening and that he hopes her mother wakes up soon. He joined Emiko and Krad out the front of the hospital and they got into the backseat of Satoshi's car.

When they arrived at the Hiwatari Mansion, Dark and Krad went upstairs, seeing their uniforms already set out on the bed. Dark raised an eyebrow and figured Emiko was going to send them to school whether they liked it or not. Krad went into the bathroom to change and exited a minute later, quickly tying his hair in the messiest high ponytail Dark had ever seen and yet, he it looked sexy. They went downstairs and Emiko was dropped off at the Niwa residence before they continued on to school.

"Oh fuck! I didn't pack lunch!"

Dark laughed. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure Emiko made enough for you and got Daisuke to carry it."

When they arrived, Emiko was right. They were in time for the beginning of second period, after they explained to the principle why they were late and why they had been absent the last three days. Neither of them paid much attention to the man as he told them he would check with the hospital about that and sent them off to their class, which was science. Dark groaned and tried to keep last night's dinner in his stomach. They joined the crowd of students that were moving onto their next classes and slipped into the lab area with the others. Dark was about to ask Krad to sit with him when he noticed Miyuki waving Krad over to her.

The blond joined her. Dark sat in his usual place, ignoring everyone around him. He could hear Miyuki giggling about something and figured Krad had made up some stupid reason why he had been away. Or he had just told her that Dark had kissed him. Dark didn't care which one it was. The jealousy pang was back and it wasn't over Miyuki. Dark took a venture to guess it was never over Miyuki as he glanced at the blond, talking to the raven haired girl, like they had known each other all their lives. It seemed as though the past two days in the hospital hadn't happened at all.

Needless to say, Dark was pissed off. He faced the front of the class when Ito walked in, smiling at the students. Dark pulled out his science book and turned to the chapter that Ito told them to, staring down at the title: Abnormalities. Dark shrugged and pulled out his file and looked up at the board as Ito wrote down what they had to do over the weekend. Dark bit back a growl. He really didn't care if he failed science. He really didn't care if he failed school, he didn't need it. Three hundred years was more than enough life experience to prepare him for the world.

Dark tuned the teacher out as he rambled on about the importance of that assignment. Ito did that with every assignment or assessment he gave out. Dark was thoroughly annoyed about the whole thing. He really was hoping to keep Krad company and _not_ have Emiko randomly show up and tell them they were to go to school. _At least Krad got something out of it,_ Dark thought dully as he looked over at his blond friend, who was looking at him. Krad blushed and faced forward.

The bell mercifully rang and Dark shoved his book and file into his bag. He waited for Krad, who was talking to Miyuki at the same time. He went over to their table and smiled. "Hey. Come on, Krad."

Krad looked up and grinned. "I know, I know. My bag is giving me a hard time."

"Krad, could I talk to you?" Ito asked, standing behind Dark, who leapt over the desk.

"Can't it wait, sir? I have to go and see the nurse." Krad finally got his bag to close and stood.

"It's about Rome."

Krad sighed. "I'll see you guys in a few minutes, okay?"

"No, that's okay. I can wait here." Dark sat down in the chair Miyuki was using and crossed his legs. He would stay there all day if he had to, just to make sure that sadist wasn't alone with his Krad.

Miyuki raised an eyebrow. Wasn't Dark the one who had confirmed that Krad was gay before he even knew? Why was he being all buddy-buddy with Krad suddenly? Miyuki didn't understand it but left the room, saying she would see them next period. Dark stayed where he was.

"Dark, I really need to talk to Mr. Ito about this."

"Does it matter if you two talk about it front of me? You'll end up telling me anyway."

Krad looked thoughtful. Dark did have a point there and shrugged, gesturing for Ito to continue. "They've accepted your proposal and you leave Sunday night. They're not sure why you chose to go for only three months, though, considering an exchange student is six months at the minimum."

"I don't want to be away from home too long. I've only just gotten back here." Krad smiled and took Dark's hand, pulling him up from the chair and towards the door. "Thank you, Mr. Ito!"

Ito smirked. "Thank you."

Dark was still in shock. He was in shock for math, phys. Ed and history. He finally came out of his shock at lunch and stared at Krad. He couldn't believe that Krad had talked about being an exchange student and didn't bother to tell any of them. He had hoped Krad felt comfortable enough to talk to him or at least Satoshi about it. Dark felt betrayed, even though he knew he had no reason to feel that way. After all, Krad had probably put in the form for it two weeks ago, before he enrolled. Or Ito forced it through on Monday, which Dark wouldn't be surprised.

That turned everything upside down. He was horrified that Krad was going to go to Italy for three months. Why would he want to be an exchange student? Dark shook his head. If he wanted to visit Rome that badly, he was sure Satoshi would've gladly taken them all over for a visit. _Unless he's running from something,_ his brain taunted in an almost sing-song sort of way. _He hasn't got anything to run away from, idiot._ Dark shook his head slightly. Thinking wasn't getting him anywhere and the only way he could get any answers was if he interrogated Krad.

_Just as he was starting to get better, too,_ Dark concluded as he watched Krad joke with Daisuke, who didn't seem _as_ shocked about Krad being happy as he was two days ago. Dark didn't want Krad to leave. He didn't want to be thousands of miles from the blond. What if something happened? What if Krad had a relapse and stopped eating again? There were too many variables and Dark didn't want to take a risk of Krad leaving and coming back dead.

Dark ignored Risa as she called out his name and forced herself between him and Daisuke. He continued to stare at Krad. He was more interesting and important at the moment. Risa spoke to him, even though he wasn't responding. Krad glanced at him for a second and that was all Dark needed to know that Krad was hiding something. Dark lowered his eyes to Krad's lunch and saw that the blond had barely touched it and that made his anger spike.

"Krad, eat your lunch before I force it down your throat," he hissed and even Risa stopped talking.

Krad faced Dark and looked at him with an odd expression. It was unreadable but he smiled and shook his head. "Most of it is meat and you know that I'm vegetarian."

"Then eat everything isn't meat. You haven't even touched the fruit that Emiko gave you." Dark reached over with his chopsticks and picked up a piece of watermelon, holding it in front of Krad's lips. "Come on, say 'ahh'," he coaxed.

"Why don't you ever say that for me, Dark-san?" Risa demanded, squeaking in fear at the glare she received from Dark and Krad.

"Because you can't the tell difference between me screaming in pain or not. I have begged you to learn how to cook before forcing me to eat the mutated slop you call food," Dark snapped. He'd really had enough of Risa not accepting the fact that he wasn't interested in her.

Risa looked ready to cry and did when she heard laughing. She shot a look of death at Krad, who only laughed harder. She didn't have to deal with that. She would get Dark when he wasn't trying to impress some blond bimbo. Risa wiped her eyes and stood and with as much dignity as she could muster, walked away from them just as Riku joined them. She sat down beside Daisuke and looked around.

"What happened with Risa?"

Daisuke blushed and Satoshi rolled his eyes. "Dark just told her, for the twentieth time, that he's not interested in her in that way. I guess it didn't help that Krad laughed at what Dark said about her cooking." Satoshi adjusted his glasses, using that second to smirk.

Riku glanced at the purple haired teen and the blond. They did seem a lot closer and Risa could be rather stupid when it came to her feelings for Dark. Even Riku could see that Dark wasn't interested in Risa and it had nothing to do with her cooking. It was just who Risa was.

"Krad, just open your mouth and accept it."

"What?"

Dark lent across the table, trying to force the watermelon into Krad's mouth. "It's going in, whether you want it to or not!"

Krad blushed madly as he knew that the other students were staring at them because of Dark's innuendos about the fruit. He gave in and opened his mouth, chewing on the watermelon and lowering his head. He couldn't believe Dark had managed to give most of the school a show about lunch and without actually trying. Dark probably hadn't even caught onto his words. On the other hand, it was more than likely Dark knew what he was saying and had done it as a way to humiliate Krad as well. Dark considered that half payback from Krad keeping it to himself that he was going to be an exchange student.

Krad slapped Dark's hand away when the chopsticks went towards the fruit again and used his own to eat it. "I'm not a two-year-old, Dark! I know how to eat."

"Really? With the way you were giggling with Daisuke here, I could've sworn your mentality went down a few years." Dark smirked and dodged the chopstick that was thrown at him. "Now I _do_ have to feed you!" Dark picked up a grape and positioned it in front of Krad's mouth. The blond blushed like crazy but accepted it, keeping his eyes lower. Five minutes later, the fruit was gone and Dark was grinning like he had just won some great victory over Krad. "That wasn't so bad, now, was it?"

"I guess not. But don't get used to it." Krad glanced at the school clock. "What do we have next period?"

"Art." Dark packed away what was left of Krad's lunch and handed it to Daisuke as he stepped around the table. He took Krad's hand with his spare one and pulled him to the side, so they could talk privately. "When were you planning on telling us, Krad?"

"Telling you what?"

"That you applied to be a fucking exchange student," Dark hissed, his eyes narrowing.

"I didn't think my application would be approved, which is why I didn't mention it. It's only for three months and I promise I'll keep eating regularly." Krad smiled and turned to go join the others but Dark took his hand. "Dark, what's wrong?"

Dark desperately wanted to tell Krad to stay and not to leave him. He only had two more nights with the blond and then he wouldn't see him again for the next three months. _Maybe that's a good thing, though. If I don't see him, maybe these stupid feelings for my _enemy_ will disappear._ Dark gazed at Krad's long, slender fingers that were being held loosely by his own. He knew that three months of separation wouldn't make any difference but it was a hope he was going to hold onto.

As he continued to look at their hands, Krad's fingers gently wrapped around his own. Dark didn't care that his fan club was watching him with the blond and that they could see them holding hands. Hell, he didn't even care that Daisuke and Satoshi were watching it. He just didn't know what to do and found himself wishing he could run to Hitomi and tell her about it. Dark wasn't going to do that, though. He was a big boy and was perfectly capable of sorting himself out. He just wished it wasn't so damn difficult.

_Should I tell him now or do I wait for him to return?_ Dark looked up at Krad's face. The blond was staring off into the distance, a small smile on his lips. _I'll wait for him to return. That way, he can't go running back._ Dark let go of Krad's hand and the blond turned to him, raising an eyebrow. Dark was about to say something but the bell rang. The two angels headed back to the table and collected their bags, heading to their art class. Miyuki joined them and Dark found himself being excluded from their conversation. With Krad having a friend outside of Dark, Dark found himself to be thinking very possessively about Krad.

* * *

Dark went back to the Hiwatari Mansion, after telling Emiko that he would be staying there until Sunday night. She smirked and nodded and Dark had to roll his eyes. After telling her that Krad was leaving Sunday night, her mood changed. Dark raised an eyebrow. He got the feeling that Emiko was keeping something from him. He didn't press it though as Krad poked his head through the door and told him to hurry up as he had to cook dinner and get his homework done plus pack. Dark said a quick goodbye and got in the car after Krad.

Dark sat at the breakfast counter as Krad made dinner. Krad had prepared another sandwich for Dark, making himself a smoothie and nibbling on some almonds. He lent against the other side of the counter as they ate and Dark couldn't keep his eyes off the pale angel. It was still annoying him that Krad didn't bother to tell any of them that he had applied to be an exchange student. Dark just knew it was going to annoy him for the next three months.

_What if I have more of those dreams? My dreams are responsible for Krad's injuries at the moment. At least, I know the holes are but the cut on his left wrist could have been self-inflicted._ Dark reached over and took a couple of the almonds, sticking his tongue out at Krad with a smirk as he ate them. Krad smiled and shook his head. Krad answered the phone when it rang, his eyes lighting up. He turned his back to Dark and Dark felt his jealousy spike as he got a feeling he knew who was on the other end. Dark was trying to understand why he wanted to get Miyuki's attention. She was ridiculously annoying.

Dark half listened as Krad spoke about school. Miyuki was apparently updating him on what he had missed out on. It sounded like all the latest gossip, too. Dark smirked to himself. _I'll bet she doesn't know he's leaving next week._ For some reason, unbeknownst to him, Dark felt a little special being one of two other people that knew that fact about Krad. Not even Krad's friend Miyuki knew that and she probably wasn't going to know it, either, until Dark told her why Krad wasn't at school.

"Why would you even _suggest_ something like that?" Krad suddenly shrieked and looked at Dark with a blush. "I can't. Yes. _No!_ Miyuki-chan, I'm sure I would know. How? Because I'm living in it." Krad suddenly giggled and looked away from Dark.

Dark growled and stood. He didn't care how unsafe that damn mansion was, he was going upstairs to work on his assignment or at least pretend to so he didn't have to listen to Krad acting like a schoolgirl. Dark went into Krad's room and threw himself on the bed, dragging his bag up, opening it. He pulled out his science book, file and a pen. He opened it to the right chapter and yawned. He really didn't want to do it but knew he didn't have a choice. With a sigh, Dark glanced at the bedside chest on the opposite side of where Krad normally slept. He saw a remote on it and picked it up, studying it. He hit the 'Play' button and jumped when industrial music started blaring at him.

_Take me.  
__Take me in your arms, my love, and rape me.  
__Don't hide behind your rage, I know you love me.  
__And always will._

"What the fuck?" Dark turned the volume down and went to the next song. He bounced his head from side to side and felt it flowing through him as the bass joined in. He had no idea what song it was but he was thoroughly enjoying it already. _'Play the hunter'? Interesting. One-trick pony? Wow, Krad. What?_ Dark smirked and got to his feet, dancing around the spacious room. He could feel curious eyes on him, probably from whatever was haunting the place but at that moment, Dark didn't care.

It was the first time Dark had actually bothered to listen to English music. He had to say, he was impressed. What impressed him more was the fact that he was dancing around to it. That song soon finished though and made Dark pout. He listened as the next one came up and frowned slightly. _The Marine Corps?_ The beat was a lot slower than the previous song but Dark took that back as soon as the actual lyrics started and found himself fitting to that song, too.

"Marine Corps!" Dark sang out with the song, turning a three-sixty and freezing. He paused the song and turned around, seeing Satoshi standing there, an almost traumatized look on his face. "What? Oh, like you've never danced around to a song before!"

"That's true. I'm sure I don't look like an emu having an epileptic fit, though." Satoshi left the doorway and went downstairs, shuddering.

Dark stood there for a few seconds, frowning. He was almost certain that Satoshi had insulted his dancing abilities, not that Dark had a problem with that. He was a much better dancer with a partner but since Krad was speaking with _Miyuki_, Dark had no choice but to dance alone. He wasn't going to ask the boy if wanted to dance. That would be more creepy than Satoshi smiling. _Eenie meanie Mono Man,_ Dark sang in his mind. He went to close the door and go back to the song he liked a lot when Krad stepped in.

"Are you the one listening to my music?" he asked, looking around the room.

"Yeah. You got interesting taste. It's a lot different than I thought it would be." Dark smiled and replayed the song that got him up and dancing.

"Just try not to break anything, okay? I went through hell to illegally download most of those songs." Krad stepped out of his room, continuing on with his conversation with Miyuki and Dark turned the song up quite loud.

Dark could hear Krad shouting at him but couldn't understand the words. He was going to make sure Krad's talk with Miyuki was going to be a painful one. He accidentally went back to the first song he heard, the one about rape. He went to go forward but stopped. He liked the beat of that song and that was all that mattered to Dark. He stepped out of the room and down the stairs, the music blaring. It could be heard everywhere in the house. He went into the kitchen and ran up behind Krad, wrapping his arms around the blond.

"Krad-chan~" he sung out.

"Hold on a minute, Miyuki." Krad lowered the phone to his shoulder and looked over his shoulder, gasping when Dark licked his cheek. "What, Dark? Could you go turn down that music?"

"After you tell me why you're leaving." Dark tightened his grip around Krad's waist, kissing his shoulder. He heard Krad tell Miyuki he would call her back later and turned around in Dark's arms.

"Do you really want to know?"

_Oh, fuck…_

_

* * *

_

End Chapter III.

Okies, so there wasn't a dream in there and that wasn't my fault! I was desperately trying to find a way of putting on in there but I failed! Anyways, next chapter will have Krad's shitty explanation and then we'll skip forward three months! How does that sound?  
Also, am I the only one who thinks this story is really, _really_ random? I don't even remember writing half of this chapter! Also, the Lolita outfit that Dark was wearing can be found at FanplusFriend Garden's website, just search until you find the name of the items mentioned. It's why I used their full names!

To anyone who has read this far, please review!

Brownie points to anyone who knows the songs **without** searching them!

**Alexia** - I keep warning everyone that this story is a bunch of random crap! :P When I started writing it, it was meant to be a fluffy one-shot! Then it morphed into this and my fingers just took over while brain slept. And yes, I think I did get a little confused when doing the summary. As I said, it's all subject to change and still is! Yeah, I know the dreams make more sense and I'm really trying to find a way to put them in! Anyways, I hope this chapter made you a little less confused. ^^


	4. Gemini Lotus IV

**~Gemini Lotus~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

* * *

"That's kind of a selfish reason, Krad," Dark said after a long silence that was punctured every so often by a song.

"What?" Krad demanded, his eyes narrowing. Dark knew he was in for a world class screaming match but he didn't care.

"It's selfish. What about the rest of us? I mean, did you even _think_ about us?"

Krad slapped Dark across the face. "Yes, I did. And what about the rest of you? What have any of you ever done for me that didn't involve pain? Until recently, you hated my very existence and I really didn't blame you. But if this is the kind of friend you're going to be, I was much better on my own."

Dark ignored the stinging in his cheek and glared at Krad. "Do you honestly think my life was any better, Krad? I was constantly being attacked by you and you wonder why you were always hurt during a battle? It was because I'm the _good_ guy and you're the _evil_ guy! You were always destined to lose, Krad. And running away to another country isn't going to solve anything!"

"Where the fuck did you get 'running away' from, you idiot? I only said that I was going to another country to enjoy myself because I think I fucking deserve it, you bitch!"

"Don't _you_, of all people, call me a bitch!" Dark went to punch Krad, surprised when the blond blocked it and shoved him away. Only, Krad's hands didn't make contact with Dark's body.

Dark looked at Krad, who was staring at his hands like there was blood on them. Dark raised an eyebrow. As far as he knew, neither of them had any of their powers, just the ability to have their wings. Needless to say, Dark was just as shocked as Krad was. Only Dark didn't look as though he was about to burst into tears. Something weird was going on and Dark didn't want Krad leaving until they had figured it out. _Maybe this will make him stay,_ Dark thought as he stepped closer to Krad.

After everything the blond had been through, Dark felt like an asshole for calling him selfish. If Krad needed to get away for three months, who was Dark to say that he wasn't allowed? Dark just wanted to help Krad through his uncertainties and that had come out as Dark calling Krad selfish. Dark took another step towards Krad, waiting to see if the blond would run away. Something wasn't right and Dark had a sick feeling he knew what was going on. It seemed that everything Krad did seemed to be a reason for Dark to pick a fight and that wasn't good for either of them.

Krad didn't move, he just continued to stare at his hands. He couldn't believe what he had just done. It was surreal and at the same time he knew it was bound to happen at some point. He was so scared of hurting someone; even though he knew that Dark would be there to protect him from himself. Krad raised his head when Dark's hands took hold of his own. He really did want to stop the fighting that was going on between them. That was another reason why he wanted to go to Italy. Maybe some time apart would give them a chance to calm down and work out their differences.

"Its okay, Krad," Dark whispered soothingly as he wrapped his arms around the blond's shoulders, pulling him close. _Am I really the monster?_ Dark didn't want to think about it like that but the dream kept replaying in his mind.

Krad wanted to struggle. He wanted to get away from the tanned angel. But the sense of protectiveness that Dark was giving off was enough to make Krad stay where he was. Dark might think Krad was selfish but Dark wasn't exactly a saint, either. Neither of them was and they both knew it. Krad sighed against Dark's chest. He knew he had to call Miyuki back but that could wait a little longer. At that moment, all Krad cared about was being in Dark's arms, even though he would never openly admit that. Krad closed his eyes and listened to Dark's heartbeat.

The anger between them disappeared eventually and when the air was more relaxed, Krad opened his eyes and stepped back. He blushed a dark crimson as that morning came to his mind of the way Dark's tongue felt along his skin. He turned around and checked the fish that was in the oven, just for the sake of something to do. It was cooking nicely and the lemon and herbs smelt delightful. Krad closed the oven door and sighed. He was serious considering not going to Italy just for the sake of being around Dark. But it was because of Dark that Krad wanted to go. Dark hadn't shown much friendliness towards him during the first two periods of school on Monday, which was when Krad had signed up for it.

Dark left the kitchen, going upstairs to turn the music off. Pushing the half closed door open, Dark froze and stared at the area beside Krad's side of the bed. He could've sworn he just saw someone standing there that looked like Krad. It wasn't there anymore and Dark turned the music down and finally off. He sat on the bed. Dark lied back, closing his eyes. He still didn't want Krad to leave the country but knew Krad could be just as stubborn as he was. Dark also knew that if he pushed Krad too much, the blond would probably stay over there until he died.

Dark bit back a moan as the scene from that morning in the hospital came back to him. He wished he had opened his eyes to see the look on Krad's face when he had done that. At the same time, Dark knew it would be better if he had pretended to be asleep. He still had to figure Krad out. Until then, Dark could still dream about he wanted to do to the blond. Right? Maybe not in Krad's room, considering the blond could walk in at any time.

_Wait a minute, body! Krad is about to leave for Italy in two nights and all you can do is think of which positions he would be posed in?_ Dark sat up and shook his head. What the hell was wrong with him? _Must be all the frustration I've been experiencing recently._ Dark got to his feet and stripped out of the school uniform. He didn't know why he didn't do that when he first got back to the mansion. It didn't even occur to him. Oh, that's right. Krad had been taking his time in changing, which left Dark to wander around the mansion and find nothing of interest.

Dark opened his bag and pawed through the clothing, not caring that it was spilling out all over the place. He knew Emiko would've packed his favorite pants and shirt. Since finding a store that did decent Lolita for men, Dark had gone on a bit of a rampage with buying clothing from that store. He smirked when he pulled out the Gothic Punk Dissection Slit Cotton and Fishnet pants. He slipped into them and remarked at how good he was at remembering names of clothing. He hunted through the bag more, literally throwing his clothing around the room that time. He pulled out the two piece Gothic Punk False and slipped into it. He admired himself in the mirror for twenty minutes before remembering why he had dressed like that.

Dark stepped out of his room just as Satoshi did, as well. The blue haired boy stared at Dark, his eyes wide. Dark smirked. "What's wrong, Sato-chan?" he teased. "Never understood just how sexy I was?" Dark snickered as he went downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Is that you, Satoshi-sama? Could you begin setting up the table for me?" Krad pulled the fish out of the oven and kicked the door closed.

Dark inhaled the sweet scents of dinner and felt his stomach growl. Dark watched as Krad cut the fish into smaller pieces and turned to place it on the table, freezing and staring. Krad raised an eyebrow and walked out of the kitchen. Dark's eyes widened when he heard Krad laughing in the dining room. He was trying to tell Satoshi to look at Dark and Dark felt hurt. He thought he looked sexy like that. Unless Krad didn't like punk Lolita.

"I saw him when he came out of your room. I nearly asked him if he had stepped out of your closet." Krad and Satoshi burst into fits of laughter and Dark stormed into the dining room, glaring at them.

They immediately stopped laughing and if Dark hadn't of heard them; he would've sworn they never had been. "Does it really look that bad?" he demanded. Dark waited impatiently as Satoshi said he would go and get the rest of dinner from the kitchen, leaving the two angels alone.

"I never thought you would be one for Lolita," Krad answered.

"You basically wear Lolita, too!" Dark accused.

Krad smirked and flicked his hair over his shoulder. "That's because I look adorable in it. Duh! Lolita suits me, especially when I wanna look cute and innocent and shit."

Dark blinked but chuckled as he envisioned Krad in the female sweet Lolita. "I think you would look adorable in it, too."

Krad frowned slightly. Dark was up to something but Krad smiled and nodded, heading into the kitchen to get the plates and cutlery. Dark followed Krad and it reminded Satoshi of a puppy. Satoshi could not wait to tell Daisuke about it. The redhead would be upset that he missed Dark acting like a puppy. Satoshi couldn't even believe he was witnessing it. He placed the two trays he carried on the table and waited for Dark and Krad to wander back in.

"No means no, Dark!" Krad shouted as he and the other angel walked into the dining room. Krad began setting up the table.

"Just once and no photos will be taken," Dark begged. "Besides, you said you look adorable in Lolita!"

"_Male_ Lolita, you fucking pervert! I'm not a cross-dresser and I have never thought of being one." Krad finished with the table and turned around. "Sit down; shut up and I won't kill you in your sleep tonight." Krad sat down, as did Satoshi and Dark.

"Do I want to know?" Satoshi asked.

Krad glared at Dark and the dunkel engel closed his mouth. "It was nothing. Just Dark being his normal, perverted self."

After that statement, the three of them slipped into silence. It was comfortable but it was by no means uncomfortable. Satoshi didn't know what to say to either of them as he was used to Daisuke being around to make a fool of himself and that would break the ice. Without the redhead, Satoshi just decided to eat and then head upstairs to finish his homework so he could have the weekend to himself and figure out what he was going to do for the three months that Krad was away. Satoshi knew about it because Krad couldn't keep anything from him. He knew and understood Krad's reasons behind leaving and had no problem with it, as long as Krad didn't kill anyone while he was over there.

Satoshi sighed to himself. The mansion already seemed dead and empty with just four people living it in. Krad, Satoshi, Dark and their driver. True, Dark didn't live there yet but Satoshi got the feeling the tanned angel would be moving in, whether it was planned or not. On the weekends, the only time Satoshi ever saw Krad was during meals and even then the blond would make enough for his former host. The only thing that ever really gave the mansion some life was when Krad would blast his music. Satoshi didn't think much of Krad's preference in music but that was probably because he didn't understand the need for songs to have such high bass.

Without his curse running around the house, Satoshi knew he was going to be very lonely. It sucked but there wasn't much he could do about it unless he asked Krad to stay. Even if he did ask Krad to remain in Japan, Satoshi got the feeling that Krad wouldn't. The pale angel was hell bent on going to Italy, even though he wasn't expecting it.

"Please, Krad?" Dark asked suddenly and that was enough for Krad to snap.

"Give it up," he growled, his eyes shooting death at Dark. "You are so not seeing tomorrow!"

Dark smirked. "Oh, I like, so am!" he said with a lisp and a limp wrist. He would've laughed but he got a handful of mashed potato in his face. Wiping it from his eyes, he looked at Krad, who ate calmly, though Dark could tell he was still pissed. His violet eyes slid over to Satoshi, who had his eyes closed as he ate. He looked at their portions of mashed potato and saw that they didn't have a handful missing and neither of them had it on their hands.

Satoshi finished his meal and stood, leaving the room. He wasn't going to be present for their childishness, which he knew would break out as soon as he was out of the room. Dark watched the quiet blue haired boy leave and then turned his gaze to Krad, who continued to eat slowly like nothing had happened. With a smirk, Dark threw a handful of mashed potato at Krad, who ducked it and pounced over the table to the dunkel engel, knocking him out of his chair and pinning him to the floor.

Dark raised an eyebrow and quickly got control of the situation. Krad might have put a miniscule amount of weight on but Dark was still able to overpower him. "Why do you always make it violent, Krad?" Dark lent down and licked Krad's cheek just because he could.

Krad groaned and turned his head away. "Why do you keep pushing until I turn violent?"

Dark frowned slightly and sat up, straddling Krad's hips. Did he really push Krad that far whenever the blond got violent? Recently, yes. But every other time? Dark shook his head. No, that had been all Krad because of the evil that was inside of him. Dark didn't want that evil to slip back into his angel. He lent down and kissed Krad's forehead.

"I'm sorry, Krad. Maybe we'll see how you feel after you come back from Rome. I hear they're weird over there."

Krad blinked. "I'm going to Italy, not Thailand, Dark." Krad squirmed a little. "And I have to do the dishes, plus clean up the mess you made in here and finish packing. Can you let me up?" Dark stood and Krad got to his feet. "Go have a shower. You look ridiculous with mashed potato on your face."

Dark nodded and headed upstairs. He turned on Krad's stereo and cranked the music. He went into the bathroom and looked at his reflection. Krad was being gentle when he said Dark looked ridiculous and turned the shower on. He stripped out of his outfit, discarding it to the side. He was sure he'd never wear it again, since Krad hadn't been willing to jump in it. Dark washed quickly and stepped out, drying his body and hair roughly, wrapping the towel around his waist. He left the en suite and threw himself onto Krad's bed, turning the lamp on. He glanced at the mirror on the vanity and frowned. Did he just seem himself sitting in the chair? Shaking his head, Dark rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling.

Dark looked up when the bedroom door opened and Krad stepped in. "Did you want…What the fuck?" Krad looked around his room and then glared at Dark. "Clean this mess up!"

"Aww, fuck me! Do I have to?" Dark dragged himself to his feet without waiting for an answer. He already knew it was going to be. He started picking up his clothing and stuffing it into his bag. "What were you gonna ask?"

"Oh, that doesn't matter. Dirty boys don't get dessert." Krad walked out, closing the door.

"What?" Dark turned the music off and ran out of the room, grabbing Krad's shoulder. "I cleaned it up! I should be allowed to have dessert!"

Krad stopped and turned around. He placed a finger under Dark's chin and smiled bashfully up at the purpled hair angel. He saw the pale blush that crossed Dark's cheeks and smirked to himself. "Should, could, would but aren't."

Dark was frozen. _Did Krad just flirt with me, even if it was to tear me down?_ Dark shook his head and followed Krad, sniffing the air. Something smelt deliciously sweet. Stepping into the kitchen, Dark saw éclairs on the breakfast counter. They were glazed and were begging the violet angel to eat them. He knew he would get into _a lot_ of trouble for touching them but at the same time, he couldn't help himself. The looked amazing and they smelt just as good.

"When did you learn how to bake?" Dark asked as he reached for one.

Krad shrugged and let Dark try one. "I can't remember. I've always been good at it." Krad piped the last of the first batch onto the baking tray and put it into the oven, setting the timer. "How are they?" Krad's eyes widened as he saw that almost all of them were gone.

"They're amazing! You should try one!"

"I don't like sweet foods." Krad started making another batch of batter, freezing when he felt Dark's chest against his back. "Dark, what are you doing?"

"Just say 'ahh'." When Krad refused, Dark smirked, slipping his hand down Krad's abdomen and to his groin. Krad opened his mouth to shout at him and Dark stuck the éclair in, stepping back as Krad chewed and swallowed. Dark sat down again, watching Krad lazily. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Krad looked thoughtful and added a little more sugar to the fresh batter. "Thanks, Dark."

Dark was going to make a smart remark but decided against it, considering Krad had actually used his name. Which he hadn't the blond use in a while. He missed the sound of his name coming from those light pink lips. "You're welcome," he said, looking at the last few éclairs on the silver tray. "I'm going to miss you, Krad."

Krad looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry. I'll be back before you know and we'll be back to fighting and screaming at each other."

_Three months is still a long time, Krad._ Dark lowered his eyes and stood, going up to the bedroom. He got under the covers and glared at whatever just turned Krad's hair-dryer on. "I am so not in the fucking mood for you! Piss off and let me sleep!" The hair-dryer went silent and Dark closed his eyes. _A really long time. What am I going to do without you to keep me company?_ Dark turned onto his side and closed his eyes.

* * *

Dark groaned as someone shook his shoulder. He'd had a hard time getting to sleep the previous night as he found out that Krad was returning from Italia. He heard someone saying his name and told them to 'fuck off'. He felt like hell and when he heard Krad's name he sat upright and stared at Satoshi. In the last three months, Dark had practically moved himself into the blond's bedroom and with the blond gone, whatever was haunting the house went with him.

Krad had reluctantly given Dark his cell phone number so they could exchange text messages. Krad had called Satoshi everyday and told him about how it was over there and Satoshi then filled Dark in. It sounded like Krad was having the time of his life. With every message that Krad sent to Dark, the violet angel was missing him more and more everyday and made sure to let Krad know that. Before they both went to bed, Krad would send through 'I miss you, too. Can't wait to see you all again.' Normally Dark would be happy about that but it was obvious Krad wasn't thinking of only him and that hurt. The blond was thinking of everyone but at least Dark wasn't completely cut off from communication with him.

The previous night Krad had said he would touch down in Japan at around nine in the morning and of course, after finding that out, Dark was too excited to sleep. He couldn't wait to see Krad and he couldn't wait to hear the stories. Dark had finally exhausted himself around six and was now being woken an hour later. He looked outside the balcony doors and saw the snow had let up. It was a somewhat sunny day and it was perfect for Krad's return. Satoshi asked Dark if he was awake and Dark nodded, throwing back the covers. Satoshi groaned and left the room, saying something about dipping his eyes in acid to remove the image.

Dark shrugged and got to his feet, stretching his hands above his head. He wandered into the bathroom and showered quickly, wanting to get dressed and pick everyone up before they went to the airport. Dark took a moment to consider what he should wear. He settled for his extra tight black jeans and semi-loose button up shirt. Krad had mentioned something about presents and that made Dark's heart flutter. He wanted to know what Krad could've picked up for him. Krad had said that he got them because they reminded him of that certain person and that piqued Dark's interest even more.

Through text messages, Dark got to know Krad a lot better. He found out that the blond's favorite color was in fact white. His favorite scents in the world were jasmine and vanilla, which explained a lot. His favorite flavor was strawberry. Dark had bought Krad a lip balm from a nature store online that was made in Hawaii. He hoped the blond liked it but knew that Krad would. After all, it was au natural, as Dark had noticed with Krad's concealer and mineral powders. The blond hated having chemicals on his face and Dark didn't blame him. Krad's skin was too beautiful to ruin.

The only thing that bugged Dark was that Krad would call Satoshi and talk to him and Dark knew that Satoshi had told Krad that Dark had moved in, yet the blond never asked to talk to him. Dark missed Krad's voice but that didn't matter anymore as Krad was returning that day. Dark went downstairs, not even thinking about breakfast. His stomach tingled, as though he were on speed but knew it was just the excitement that was coursing through his veins. He yelled out for Satoshi to get a move on and the blue haired teen stepped out from the side hallway that led to the kitchen and living room. They pulled their shoes on and Dark ran to the car, diving in. Satoshi conducted himself in a much more dignified matter.

With the car phone, Satoshi called the Niwa house to see if they were all ready. Kosuke had come down with a cold and didn't want to run the risk of infecting the others, so he would be staying home but promised to visit when he was feeling better. Emiko said she had volunteered Daiki to look after him and that she and Daisuke were on time and were waiting for them outside. Ten minutes later, they pulled up and the other two joined them. They chatted continuously and took pot shots on what Krad could've picked up for them all.

They arrived at the airport at twenty past eight and that was enough for Dark to go into a string of curses. They saw that Krad's flight was meant to be on time and they tried to find something to entertain them for the next forty minutes. They sat in a small café inside the airport. Emiko ordered a coffee for herself, two hot chocolates for the boys and a mocha latte for Dark. They waited patiently for their drinks to come and impatiently for Krad's flight to land. Dark kept checking the time every twelve seconds. At one point he yelled at the clock because he swore the hands gave him the finger and mocked him. Emiko had slapped him across the back of the head and Daisuke blushed with embarrassment. Krad had no idea how lucky he was to miss all the drama Dark could cause.

They finished their drinks and saw there was still ten minutes until the flight was to arrive. Dark was getting more antsy with each minute that ticked by. He had no idea what Krad would look like when he got back. Would he have a tan? Would he have shorter hair? What would he be wearing? Dark had informed Match that Krad would be going to Italia for three months and said they would go see him the following Friday for a check up. Match didn't seem pleased about it but let it go as he couldn't do a thing about it, seeing as Krad was already in another country by the time Dark told the doctor. Would he be in a better mood when he got back? Dark could tell by the tone of Krad's messages that he was lightening up, a lot and according to Satoshi, Krad's voice had changed and he was always laughing about something.

Dark checked to make sure that Krad's flight was still on time and grinned when it was. There was two minutes to go before he crushed the blond in a hug. Three months had been a long time and Dark had done a certain act in Krad's bed several times a week. Hey, he was a very lonely guy. It was only natural that he would do something like that. Of course, Krad never had to find out it. Dark wasn't ashamed of it, after all, he was thinking of Krad every time he did it and if Krad was to ask him about it, randomly and for no reason whatsoever, Dark would gladly admit it. Even if it might mean that Dark was kicked out of the bed for 'defiling' it.

Dark looked up and saw that it was a minute past nine and did something no one would ever speak of again, he squealed. He ran over to the gate that was letting the people from Italia off and waited, very impatiently for Krad to show himself. A lot of old people were getting off, plus a few school kids that were probably from other schools and coming back from their six month tours. There were a couple with blond hair but thankfully Krad's hair was a shade that wasn't common. There he was! Dark pushed his way through the crowd, calling out Krad's name.

Krad looked around and spotted Dark, his eyes lighting up as he made his way towards the violet haired teen. Dark grinned and wrapped his arms around Krad, crying out in pain and something came in contact with his nether region. He looked at the elderly lady in front of him and saw Krad behind the woman, an eyebrow raised. Dark said a quick apology to the woman and stepped around her, wrapping his arms around Krad. It felt a lot better than when Krad had left. In the last three months, Krad had put on weight. His bones were covered and he looked more gorgeous than Dark ever thought he could. Dark inhaled the jasmine and vanilla that he had missed so terribly and tightened his grip on Krad. He wasn't going to let that blond go, no matter who told him to.

"Dark…I can't breathe."

Except maybe that. Dark relinquished his hold on the blond and just gazed into his eyes. They were brighter than Dark ever remembered them being. His eyes trailed along Krad's face. It looked so much cuter, yes, _cuter_ when it wasn't sullen. Even Krad's lips were more plump and Dark wanted to kiss them again. He took in the fact that Krad wasn't wearing the collar and that the red scars were no longer that visible; they had faded to silver. Krad was in white jeans and a white v neck sweater. He was still slim and Dark still wanted to run his tongue along his collar bone again. They were joined by the others and Krad hugged Satoshi.

Dark knew Krad was going to look beautiful once he had gained weight but he was never expecting Krad to look _that_ beautiful. Krad let Satoshi go and went to collect his luggage. Two suitcases later and they were heading to the car. Emiko asked Krad about all the places he had seen and demanded photos. Krad laughed and told her that he had taken them for her as he knew she would want them. She hugged the angel awkwardly and Krad closed one eye in discomfort. He put his baggage into the trunk and climbed into the backseat, answering all the questions that were fired at him.

As they headed back to Hiwatari Mansion, Dark studied Krad. His entire aura had changed. He was much more confident and happy. He was sitting between Emiko and Daisuke and had Satoshi on his lap, who looked _very_ uncomfortable about that but still looked at the pictures that Krad was showing them. Dark didn't feel left out, simply because he would be the one who spend the night with the blond and would hear everything then. For the time being, Dark was going to share his Krad with the others before confiscating him.

When they arrived, Krad took his luggage into the living room, where the conversation continued. It broke for half an hour when Krad decided to make something for them all. He came back with a platter of sandwiches and while they ate, Emiko continued on with her questions. Krad answered them all and laughed with her about little things. Dark sat in silence, smiling as he watched the new Krad with everyone. He even seemed a little more flirty, judging by the way he was teasing Daisuke about having to choose between Riku or Satoshi.

The minutes rolled into hours and eventually Emiko decided it was best if she headed home. She asked Daisuke if he wanted to stay night and he did. Satoshi, Daisuke and Emiko left the house but first Krad handed them their presents, which were colorfully wrapped and told them they could open them when they got home. Krad told Satoshi his would be in his room when he got back and they left, after Krad gave the presents to Emiko for Kosuke and Daiki and even Wiz. Krad saw them off and stepped back into the house, turning to find a smirking Dark behind him. Krad smirked back and raised an eyebrow.

"Your hair has grown, too but you're still shorter than me," Dark teased.

"Only in this body. When I was inhabiting Satoshi I was taller." Krad stepped around Dark and headed to the kitchen, wanting to get dinner started. Krad tilted his head slightly. Three months later and he slipped into his old role like nothing had changed. In the mansion, nothing had changed. Krad's eyes widened as he felt a cold spot behind him and he looked over his shoulder, seeing nothing, not even Dark. He looked out the window and glared when his features distorted to reveal the monster he once was. Its lips moved and Krad knew what it was saying: Welcome home.

"Hey, Krad –" Dark stared at Krad's reflection but blinked and it was back to normal. Krad turned around and grinned at him.

"Something wrong, Dark?"

_Was it laying dormant these past three months waiting for Krad to come back?_ Dark shook his head and grinned back at Krad. "Just wondering what you were gonna make for dinner. Satoshi stocked up the fridge two days ago and I've really missed your cooking."

"Hmm…" Krad went to the fridge and looked through the contents of it. He chewed his lower lip and decided that for that night he would do something simple.

Emiko had given Krad a really great recipe for a stew and while he was overseas, as much as he didn't want to, Krad gave up his vegetarian ways. He didn't want to take iron supplement pills for the rest of his life or become anemic. He grabbed what he needed and took it to the counter, beginning his preparations. He could feel Dark's eyes on him and tossed him an apple.

"I thought you might want a snack."

Dark chuckled and caught the apple, taking a big bite. His eyes trailed along Krad's back and saw that the blond's hair wasn't near the length it used to be but it was down to his rear while being up in a high ponytail. Dark swallowed and bit the corner of his lip as Krad bent over to get the pot out. It took all his self-control to hold back a moan as images of what he imagined Krad doing to him came flooding back. _Damn him for looking so gorgeous. Wait, isn't that what I wanted?_ Dark shook his head and decided to stop confusing himself. He finished his apple.

"So, are you going to tell me what kind of present you got for me or do I have to guess?" Dark raised an eyebrow when Krad turned his head and looked at him from the corner of his eye. The blond didn't hide the fact that he was checking Dark out before turning back to dinner. "You're going to make me guess, aren't you? That's not nice."

Krad put the vegetables he chopped into the pot and laughed. "And you have to learn patience, Dark. Trust me, you'll get your present soon enough." Krad began slicing the meat, humming to himself.

"Could you at least take your shirt off, then?"

"What?"

"What?"

Krad turned around to face Dark, frowning slightly. "Did you just ask me to remove my shirt?"

Dark shook his head. "Why would I ask such a crazy thing?"

Krad got a confused look on his face and turned around. "That's what I thought, too," he said as continued cutting the meat. He went to the pantry and got the ingredients he needed for the gravy.

Dark mentally slapped himself. _It's a good thing he's too trusting with you,_ his heart told him. _But that's also what makes him so stupid. Don't think he's changed. He's probably just as angry with you as he was when he left,_ his brain said and Dark rolled his eyes. He would never get anywhere with those two continuously arguing with each other. Sometimes, Dark had to question why he bothered to let them talk at all or how they were even able to talk to him. They were organs. They shouldn't have voices and they shouldn't be able to tell him what to think or feel. Sometimes that was a good thing.

Krad finished making dinner and turned the burner on. He left the kitchen, went into the living room and got his luggage, taking it up to his room. He found Satoshi's gift and took it to the boy's room, placing it on the desk. With a smile, Krad went back to his bedroom, not surprised to see Dark on his bed, sprawled out like he owned it. Krad opened his mouth to playfully scold Dark for taking up so much room when he heard the violet angel call his name from downstairs.

Krad looked down there and saw Dark at the base of the stairs, asking if he could have another apple. Krad looked back into his room and the other Dark was gone. Blinking, Krad told Dark to have as many apples as he wanted and stepped into his room. _So nothing has changed,_ Krad thought sadly as he opened his suitcases and began putting his clothing away. As he turned around, he screamed when he looked into the full length mirror beside his vanity. Tears filled his eyes as he continued to stare at the image in the mirror.

"Krad?"

Krad looked at his door and saw Satoshi standing there, watching him with an eyebrow raised. Krad smiled weakly and ran over to the boy, hugging him, the vision burned into his memory. He didn't care if Satoshi thought he was weird or even if Daisuke, who was standing behind his former host did, Krad checked Satoshi's throat to make sure there were no marks. When there wasn't, Krad sighed with relief. The last thing he wanted was to know that Satoshi had been attacked while he was away. He laughed nervously and went back into his room, before Satoshi would bombard him with questions about his strange behavior.

Krad turned his stereo on and turned the music up. He didn't have it as loud as Dark had but it was still loud enough to take Krad's mind off what had happened. He continued unpacking and placed the gift he had gotten for Dark on the bedside chest, on the side that Dark usually slept on. Krad had seen the name of the gift and immediately thought of Dark, he wasn't sure why. He just hoped the dunkel engel liked it. Krad went over to his vanity, with one of the suitcases. He sat down and began arranging all the new accessories he had purchased in Italia on the white marble top. And he had bought _a lot_ of new armbands, wristbands, collars, hairpins and necklaces. He might have gone in a bit of a binge. Pretty soon, Krad ran out of room on the vanity top and began placing the items in the draws.

Krad turned the music down. "Satoshi!" he called and waited. When the blue haired teen appeared in his door, Krad asked, "Could you check on dinner and make sure that Dark isn't in the kitchen without adult supervision?" Krad smiled when Satoshi nodded and he turned the music up again.

Krad closed his eyes, getting lost in the lyrics and beat of the song. For some reason that song always did something to Krad. It was a sexy song. His head fell back slightly and he bit his lower lip, moaning quietly as he imaged Dark behind him. Krad's eyes snapped open and he blushed, making sure he was alone and no one was there to see it. Heart pounding, Krad put the last of the accessories away and stood, growling when he saw that his bedding had been ripped from the bed and strewn across the room. If the thing that was continuing to fuck with him had the guts to show itself, Krad was going to kill it. With a sigh, he collected the covers, sheets and pillows. He made the bed and left his room, jogging happily downstairs. Obviously there wasn't a problem with dinner and it smelt wonderful.

Once in the kitchen, Krad saw that Satoshi had started the rice and put it on to cook. He smiled warmly and went into the living room, sitting beside Dark, who was watching some show that was aimed at teenagers. It seemed that two people who had had some problems in the past were trying to work through them and while one of them wasn't ready for a romantic relationship with the other, he was willing to be friends with him. Krad was about to ask about it when a commercial break came on but Dark beat him to it.

"It's a show I started watching three months ago. The one that only wanted to be friends?" Krad nodded. "His name is Kage. He tormented Shiro about three months ago after Shiro confessed his feelings for Kage. The tormenting forced Shiro to try and take his own life. Kage found out and tried to help Shiro, even though it meant losing his popularity."

Krad stared at Dark, unable to believe he was watching a soap opera. It would explain the bad acting. Krad had no idea that Dark would be able to sit through something like that and not laugh at it. Maybe Dark was keeping a few secrets from Krad. In the three months that he was gone, Dark never mentioned the show to Krad and figured it was probably a guilty pleasure. But Dark wasn't being secretive about it, as he was watching in plain sight.

"Why do you watch this show?" Krad asked as he tucked a leg beneath him.

_Because Kage and Shiro remind me of the relationship you and I share._ "I have no idea. I guess I'm just addicted to the bad acting." Dark chuckled.

Krad grinned and shook his head. He turned his attention back to the television when the show came back on. Krad tilted his head to the side as Kage went home and locked himself in his room, telling himself he was an idiot for not admitting that he wanted to be around Shiro all day, everyday. Krad blinked when the credits came on just as Kage was picking up the phone to call Shiro. He got up and checked on the rice. It was cooking nicely and by the time the stew had finished, the rice would be done as well.

Dark lent against the doorway to the kitchen and watched Krad. The blond really did know how to slip back into his routine. Dark smirked as he thought about how Miyuki was going to react when she saw different Krad was. She had constantly asked questions about the blond and Dark always gave her the same answer, not wanting to share anything with her. She would just have to wait, like the rest of the school. Just because Krad was friends with her, he obviously didn't give her his number for a reason. Granted, Dark had literally _begged_ for it and Krad gave it to him just to shut him up. Dark had no doubt that if Miyuki had asked for it Krad would've given it to her but since she didn't think of that, she lost out.

Dark reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out the lip balm. He walked up to Krad and dangled it over his shoulder. Dark stepped closer when Krad moved his head to look at it and his lips pressed to his thumb. Krad took the small stick and looked at it. He grinned and turned, wrapping his arms around Dark's neck. Dark forced himself not to kiss Krad's throat but closed his eyes and took in the sweet scent that always surrounded Krad.

"Thank you, Dark! You really didn't have to get it for me," Krad said when he stepped back, opening the small canister. He inhaled the rich strawberry scent and moaned softly, rolling it along his lips.

Dark watched as Krad's pink lips got a little pinker and stepped forward. "I wanna be first to taste it."

Krad frowned slightly but smiled and handed the stick back to Dark, gasping when Dark took hold of his jaw and ran his tongue along his bottom lip. For a few seconds Krad forgot how to breathe or even how to think. He blinked and tried to fight the blush that was already staining his cheeks. Dark kissed the tip of his nose and walked out of the kitchen with a smirk. Krad ran his own tongue along his lower lip, tasting the sweet strawberry. He closed his slightly parted mouth and another blush heated his cheeks. He shook his head and turned back to setting up the plates for dinner. As he turned, however, he failed to realize his knees had gone weak and fell. He saved himself and was grateful no one was around to witness that. He took a shaky breath, trying to calm his racing heart and cool the nerves that had been set ablaze by Dark's actions, all of which had just registered in his mind.

Krad wondered if he had time for a quick, cold shower when the timer went off on the rice and he cursed. He called for Dark to get the boys and turned the stew off. He plated the rice and the stew. By the time he had taken all four plates to the dining room, the other three were seated and Krad sat down. They chatted about a play that was coming up in the school and Krad hoped he wasn't given a part in it. He was an artist and would be better off doing the backgrounds. Apparently it was a conjoined project between Daisuke and Satoshi's class and Dark and Krad's and worth a third of their grade for that class. Krad cursed which being was responsible for that as he knew he was going to be humiliated by it. Nothing had been decided yet, not even what play they would be doing and Krad had to wonder what the hell the teachers were thinking.

The beginning of the second month of winter started next week, which meant they would have seven weeks to do the sets, cast the actors and have every perfect before the show before they broke for Christmas and New Year. That might seem like a long time but if Risa was cast in the play, which there was no doubt she would be, the script would probably be rewritten even time she decided she didn't get enough time on stage or, God forbid, Dark was cast as well and she didn't get to spend enough time in one scene with him. For that reason alone, Krad really pitied Dark. The violet angel really did have to deal with a lot shit when it came to that psychotic Harada twin. Thankfully Riku was more down-to-earth.

They finished dinner but didn't move for a few more minutes, still talking about the play. Daisuke was scared that the girls in the classes would want a romance story. While Daisuke had no problem with that, he didn't want to play out another sappy rendition. Satoshi said he would be able to convince the teacher to put some action in there and the angels backed him up on that. Dark knew he was automatically going to be cast for one of the lead roles and if they wanted him so badly, they would bend to his will and do things his way. Krad laughed and told Dark that if he was able to do that, he would worship the dunkel engel for the next month. Krad regretted those words when Dark smirked at him. Even Satoshi got a cocky smile on his lips and Krad groaned. He knew he was going to in for the worst month of his life. Dark always got his way, in the end.

Krad stood and collected their dishes, taking them into the kitchen so he could clean them. He felt much better after eating. He quickly washed and rinsed the dishes he had made and went up to his room. He turned his stereo off and stretched. It was still relatively early but jetlag was setting in. He turned on the lap and went into the bathroom, looking at is reflection. He was amazed at how beautiful he looked and that was the first time, ever, he thought that. He stripped and got the shower going, stepping up the warm current. He washed his hair and body quickly, stepping out. He dried his body and wrapped the towel around his hips, stepping into his room. He dressed for bed quickly, in a long sleeved button up shirt that fell to his mid-thighs and a pair of boxers. He brushed his hair and aired it out, not bothering to do it up, like he normally did. Turning the lap off, Krad crawled under the covers.

Five hours later, Dark went upstairs after turning off the lights downstairs. He snuck into Krad's room and saw that the blond was completely dead to the world. Dark had a quick shower and pulled on a pair of boxers, since Krad was in the bed again, Dark decided it would be best not to sleep naked like he had been for the last three months. He got under the covers beside the blond and kissed his cheek. He wasn't really tired but it was boring being downstairs alone, especially when he would go to the bathroom, come back and the channel had been changed on him or he would go and get something to snack on and the television was turned off. It was beginning to annoy him. He wrapped an arm around Krad's waist, who groaned and rolled over, flinging an arm over his body.

Dark pulled Krad a little closer, enjoying the fact that he wasn't being poked by bones and the scent that was invading his senses. He missed all the small things about having Krad sleeping beside him, even if that was the first time he had pulled Krad into his arms but with the cold breeze that was coming in through the balcony doors, it was no wonder that Krad was cuddling him. Dark pulled the covers up over the blond a little more and closed his eyes, hoping he didn't do anything stupid while he slept. Though, he wouldn't blame himself if he did.

* * *

Dark's eyes were forced open when there was a sharp intake of air. He saw Krad biting his lower lip as Dark rolled him onto his back, kissing his neck and pinning his arms beside his head. Krad's eyes open as he moaned softly. Dark loved that sound and the look in his bright gold eyes. The way Krad's hips bucked as Dark licked his throat. Dark released Krad's hands, which were instantly lost in the wild, purple mass atop his head as Dark's now free hands undid the buttons on Krad's shirt, pushing the material to the side.

Dark ran his hands up Krad's torso, the blond arching his back to follow them. Dark dipped his head and ran his tongue along a collar bone, Krad breathing his name. The dunkel engel smirking as he kissed and occasionally nipped his way down the pale torso, Krad moaning all the while. Dark got to Krad's hips and stopped for a second, seeing that the elastic running across the hips wasn't touching the skin. Dark ran his along the opening, Krad holding back a moan. Dark was enjoying the looks of pleasure on the blond's face. It was beautiful, even if something didn't feel right.

Dark continued to watch as he ran his tongue up the center of Krad's upper body to his throat, where he suckled, a hand going to Krad's groin, palming the obvious erection hidden behind silk boxers. Krad cried out and wrapped his arms around Dark's neck, his face flushing as his hips rolled with the hand. Dark could watch that all day but that was when he realized what felt wrong. He was so entranced by Krad in pleasure that he hadn't realized he was watching the whole act. He was having the worse out-of-body experience in his whole life. His body turned his head in his direction and smirked and Dark saw his purple eyes flash gold. His body was being possessed by the monster?

Krad seemed to have seen the eyes, too as his face lost all the lust and passion and turned to anger. "Get the fuck out of him," he hissed viciously. "I'll have no problem beating the hell out of him just so you feel the pain."

The monster stared at Krad, as though it was trying to see if the blond was telling the truth. It decided Krad was and left the Dark's body. Dark was sucked back in and opened his eyes with a gasp, looking around. He gazed at Krad blankly as the blond propped himself up on his elbows, a hand cupping his cheek. A soft blush spread across Krad's cheeks and nose. He was hoping that Dark wouldn't remember what had just happened and it would appear that luck was on his side.

"What happened?" Dark asked, getting to his knees. He looked at Krad's open shirt and felt his erection twitch. He got off the blond and grabbed a pillow, holding in front of his nether region. "Oh, fuck, Krad! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to!"

Krad got to his knees, his open shirt falling to his elbows as he smiled softly up at Dark. "Don't be. I think you were having a good dream." Krad bit his lip as Dark's grip on the pillow got tighter. Krad wasn't going to admit anything anytime soon but he was hoping that it had been Dark that was doing all those things to his body. It sucked that the violet angel was being possessed by the thing that Krad loathed.

It was a good dream, if Dark was remembering it correctly but he hadn't planned on doing it in reality and especially not while Krad was asleep. Dark took another step back from the bed in case he couldn't control himself again and jumped the blond right then. Krad was looking delicious, kneeling on his bed, hands between his knees, shirt around his elbows, soft blush on his cheeks, biting lower lip. Dark wanted to complete the dream but knew it would be best if he didn't. The blond had a mark on his neck from where Dark remembered sucking and on his torso from the random nips had been placed. Unless Dark was imagining things, which he very well could have been, it looked like Krad wanted to continue but Dark wasn't going to take that chance. He ran into the bathroom and locked the door. He jumped into the shower and decided to sleep on the floor for the remainder of the night.

Krad shifted. He knew it wasn't right, especially considering what had happened but it didn't change the fact that Krad could still feel Dark on top of him and making him moan. It didn't change the fact that every time Krad thought about it, he wanted to grab Dark and force the tanned angel to do it. And it didn't change the fact that Krad was still turned on by the whole thing, even if Dark thought it was a dream. Krad wasn't leading a life of celibacy and he so wanted to get laid and soon. If he had to wait any longer, especially with the teasing that Dark was putting him through, Krad couldn't be help responsible for anything he might do.

Images flooded Krad's mind and he shook his head, trying to be rid of them. It would seem he needed to take a shower after Dark, though he doubted he would be able to sleep again that night. Not only would he have to deal with the possibility of having sexy dreams about Dark but there was also trying to figure out how to dispose of whatever was haunting him and possessing Dark. That thought made all of the images in his mind disappear and Krad fell to the side, head landing on his pillows as he thought about it. It was something that was apart of him and wanted to be part of him again and would try anything, including possession to get what it wanted. _What am I going to do?_ Krad closed his eyes. He couldn't think of a thing, except talking to Daiki about it and seeing if there was some sort of ritual the older Niwa could perform. Krad smiled. That was actually a good idea and it gave him a spark of hope.

Dark stepped out of the shower, teeth chattering. He quickly wrapped a towel around himself, trying to get some sort of warmth back into his body. It had at least worked at taking care of his problem. He dried his hair and stepped out into the bedroom, seeing that Krad had already fallen asleep. He pulled on a pair of loose jeans and a sweatshirt. He pulled the covers over Krad's body and sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking the blond's hair. He should've known things were going to get complicated when Krad returned; three months later and he still didn't know how Krad felt about him. A part of him was hoping that things wouldn't get quite _that_ complicated, though. Technically, though, Dark knew things got complicated as soon as he became friends with Krad. His hormones were being a bitch and he couldn't control them. He now knew how Daisuke felt every time he transformed into Dark.

Dark tucked Krad's hair behind his ear and saw that he got a new piercing at the top. Dark was surprised that he didn't notice it before and it got Dark curious on what else Krad had gotten pierced. He had seen that Krad's navel was pierced, as well. Dark really wanted to know what else Krad had modified on his body. If the blond had gotten any tattoos. Gently, Dark pulled the covers off Krad's shoulders and moved the shirt down. He could see a mark on Krad's shoulder-blade and something that went across the middle but without light, he couldn't see what it was. Dark was still trying to get over the shock that Krad had marked his perfect body.

Dark's eyes widened as Krad suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled it over his body, putting Dark in one of the most uncomfortable positions known to man. It seemed that he wasn't going to be sleeping on the floor and got behind Krad. One of the most difficult maneuvers Dark ever had to pull off but he eventually did it. He lied on top of the covers and kissed Krad's exposed shoulder. Maybe the blond would let him have a better look at it in the morning, if he didn't have a fit over what had happened, something that Dark hoped wouldn't happen. He closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep, half of him not looking forward to waking up again.

* * *

Dark yawned before he opened his eyes. He licked his lips and tasted strawberry and slowly opened his eyes. He was on his back and Krad was on top of him, smiling. Dark raised an eyebrow and moved onto his elbows as Krad got to his knees. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was past midday by a few hours. Dark flopped down again and closed his eyes. He didn't want to get up but it seemed that Krad wanted him up as the blond pulled the covers back.

"Upsy-daisy, Dark!"

Dark groaned and rolled onto his stomach. He wasn't getting up. He felt like shit and no-one amount of begging from Krad would make him feel different. He sniffed the air when he smelt something that reminded him of Red Bull. He cracked one eye open and looked at Krad, taking in the blond's outfit. Dark decided he didn't feel _that_ much like shit and got to his feet. Krad handed him a cold can of the energy drink and Dark two large mouthfuls. Dark looked at Krad again, still unable to believe that the blond was wearing almost all black. It was the first time he had ever seen it and it looked hot on him.

Krad was leaning against the post of his bed, his hips sticking out as he looked down at his phone. He was dressed in tight jeans that were riding a little too low on his hips and the punk two piece shirt and jacket that Dark had worn when Krad laughed at him. The shirt had been modified to become a midriff shirt but it was sexy and black fishnet gloves that looped around Krad's middle finger and went up to the elbow. Dark was certain that if looked at Krad any longer, he would get hornier. He finished the drink and got to his feet, literally tearing his eyes from Krad.

"We're going to meet Miyuki. Did you wanna get changed?" Krad raised his eyes and being slightly more awake, Dark saw that Krad was wearing eyeliner.

"Uh…Yeah, thanks." Dark shook his head and began stripping. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Krad was trying to keep his eyes on the phone. Knowing that he was still able to grab Krad's attention, Dark dressed in a similar fashion, going for tight black jeans but opting for a different top. He went for a gothic punk shirt and tie with detachable sleeves that he kept on in white. "Ready whenever you are."

Krad looked up and nodded. He went over to the vanity and put on a thick, studded collar before turning around. He stepped out of the room and went to Satoshi's door, knocking. He stuck his head in and let his former host know that he and Dark were going out and would probably be back late and that he just had to heat up a casserole. He said goodbye to both of the boys and said if there was an emergency, he had his phone with him. With that said, Krad and Dark headed down the stairs where Krad pulled on a pair of black DC shoes with skulls along the sides. Dark raised an eyebrow but nodded as he pulled on a basic pair of black joggers. Leaving the house, they got into the waiting car and Krad gave the destination.

"So why are we going to the mall?" Dark asked as he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to comb some of the knots out of it.

Krad shrugged and applied more of the balm Dark got him before answering. "That's where Miyuki told me to meet them."

Dark nodded but stopped. "Wait, told _you_ to meet them there? Does she know you're bringing me along?"

Krad shook his head. "Nope. She doesn't like you very much but if she wants to be friends with me, she's going to have to accept that you're my best friend and put her differences aside. Besides, I thought you might like to go out, since it's a sunny day." Krad fixed the black leather armband around his left upper arm. He had chosen it for that outfit because it had two silver chains criss-crossing over each other.

Dark raised an eyebrow. "Wow, you've gotten way bitchier, too. That's hot."

Krad raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Well, she thinks she can persuade me to think the way she does but in the end, I don't need her to be my friend. You, Daisuke and Satoshi are enough for me. Besides, I can barely find time for you four much less the ten seniors on the tennis team."

Dark nodded. He had forgotten that Miyuki was on the tennis team. Of course, he forgot a lot things about people whenever he saw Krad, especially now. Dark looked at Krad's face and frowned. Was Krad wearing blush that contoured his cheeks? It would appear so and with that amount of make up, Dark had to admit it just added to Krad's natural sexiness. They arrived at the mall a few minutes and they piled out, Krad telling the driver he would call when they were ready to leave or they would just walk home. Krad looked around and spotted Miyuki, waving to her. Miyuki waved back and everyone else she was with turned their attention of Dark and Krad as they approached the group.

"Oh, wow, Krad! You look amazing! Three months in Italy really did well for you," she gushed, grinning. She turned to the others. "Don't you agree?"

Krad raised an eyebrow at the empty praise he was receiving but shrugged. "Thanks. So, what are we doing today?"

Miyuki glanced at the other five people with her. "We were thinking about doing some clothes shopping. Especially for Dark." She looked at Dark's outfit and turned her nose up.

Krad narrowed his eyes but smirked. "I like his outfit, actually. I picked it out myself." Krad waited and like he expected, Miyuki began saying that she was only joking about it and that it looked really good. Krad rolled his eyes and sighed and Dark laughed. "Come on. Let's just get this shit over with. I'm starting to feel hungry."

They entered the mall and looked at the stores. Dark took Krad's hand and pulled him to the back of the group, not wanting anyone to associate them with the snobbish people that were walking around, talking and laughing. Krad didn't have a problem with it, either, as he laced their fingers and Dark suppressed a shudder of pleasure. It just felt so right to hold Krad's hand and Dark didn't care what anyone thought. Krad stopped outside a window and pointed to the shirt that the mannequin was wearing. It was an off-the-shoulder shirt that laced up along the arms and the sides. Dark moaned quietly at the thought of Krad in it and they stepped into the store so Krad could try it on.

There was a group of girls from another school in the store as well. Dark knew he would recognize anyone of the girls from their school. They were point to him and Krad, whispering. Dark reluctantly let go of Krad's hand as the blond stepped into the dressing room with the shirt. He waited patiently for a minute when Krad emerged. A saleswoman came up to Dark when Krad stepped out. She remarked on how well it fit Krad's form and Dark agreed. When Krad turned to go back into the room to change, Dark saw the tattoo and chuckled. On one shoulder Krad a biscuit that said 'Eat Me' and on the other was a vial with a tag that said 'Drink Me' and between his shoulders was the word 'Wonderland'.

Krad walked out a minute later, the shirt over his arm. He took Dark's hand and went up to the counter and paid for the shirt, which was just as expensive as he was expecting it to be. He thanked the clerk and they left the store. As they walked, Dark let go of Krad's hand and placed an arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer. Krad wrapped his arm around Dark's waist, slipping his hand into the tanned angel's front pocket. They saw that Miyuki and the others were looking for them and one of them pointed to the two angels and Miyuki raised an eyebrow as she saw their intimate pose.

"Krad," Miyuki said sweetly when the two joined the group, "have you met Naoko?" Miyuki pulled a boy forward with short silver and dark brown eyes, who smiled shyly.

Krad gazed at him with a bored look. "Hi, Naoko-san. How are you?"

Naoko blushed slightly. "I'm great, thank you, Hikari-san."

"Yes, I have met him," Krad told Miyuki and looked up at the clock. "Come on; let's get something to eat before I pass the fuck out."

Naoko blinked, Miyuki fumed and Dark smirked as they headed towards one of the eateries in the mall. Miyuki and Naoko hung back slightly and Miyuki smiled apologetically at Naoko. "I'm sorry. Whenever he's with Dark, he gets weird. He told me he doesn't have any feelings for that moron but doesn't seem to want to let him go. You've still got a chance, I promise."

Naoko smiled, losing the blush and the innocent twinkle in his eyes. "If you say so. Just remember, if he doesn't get with me, it's your ass." He stood behind Krad as the blond ordered.

Dark muttered into Krad's ear and Krad laughed. Miyuki scoffed, really wishing that Krad hadn't brought Dark with him. She had specifically asked the blond to leave the moron at home. She thought they were close enough for Krad to want to spend time with her alone. Unless something happened in the three months he was away. Dark hadn't been with Krad, that much was obvious as Dark was at school everyday. She pouted slightly as Krad continued to talk to Dark. He hadn't even said anything about his time in Italia and hadn't given her a gift.

After everyone had ordered, they pulled three tables together and sat down. Miyuki took control over the conversation, asking Krad questions about his time abroad. Krad answered them, acting like it was old news and Miyuki was getting more peeved. Naoko asked some questions and Krad acted the same way with him. Krad excused himself to go to the bathroom and so did Naoko. Krad grinned when heard that and walked in, Naoko seconds behind him.

Once alone, Krad locked the door and Naoko spun around, looking fearful. "Drop the act, asshole," Krad told him.

Naoko blinked. "What do you mean?" he inquired bashfully.

"Bitch, I've been around true innocence before and can tell you are far from it. I've never seen you at school before, even if I was only there for two days. I saw you in Rome, though. Why have you followed me back to Japan?"

Naoko shook his head. "No, I don't attend your school. I met Miyuki at a tennis tournament once and she was really nice to me."

Krad's patience was wearing thin and he punched the kid in front of him. "Don't lie to me, okay? I'm the fucking master of lying."

Naoko growled, spitting blood to the floor. He glared at Krad, his eyes getting the evil glint to them that Krad was expecting. "Fine. It's so much easier when you pricks are stupid! Those bracelets you bought? _In bianco e nero_?" Krad nodded. "I was their original owner. I was crucified when the Romans found out about my love for another man."

"Oh, fuck me…"

Dark glanced at the bathroom door. Krad and Naoko had been in there for a while. A lot longer than it took for Krad to do his business, not that Dark had ever timed him. Their food had arrived and Miyuki was giving him a glare that was beginning to annoy him. If Krad didn't show up soon, he was going to rip into the bitch that was trying to partner his Krad with some freak that was evil beyond reason. It wasn't the kind of evil that Dark was used to dealing with but at the moment, there was a lot of evil around Krad and it got the violet angel worried. With a sigh, Dark got to his feet and went over to the bathroom, finding the door was locked. Making sure no one was watching him; Dark pulled out two feathers and used them to pick the lock, stepping into the bathroom.

"Okay, who is this punk?" Dark demanded, pointing to Naoko.

"He's the first owner of the two bracelets I got for you. The Romans crucified him when they found out he was in love with another man," Krad explained. "Now, he haunts them so he can possess the wearer of the white one, which would be me if you gave it to me."

Dark stared at Naoko. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Your love is probably waiting for you in the afterlife. Get a grave and move on!"

Naoko blinked and pointed to Krad. "He said the _exact_ same thing to me. Are you two twins?"

"No, we're just friends," they answered. "But seriously," Dark continued. "Why don't you want to be with the man you love? You obviously died for him."

"He never loved me!" Naoko cried out in anger. "I thought that if I made him the bracelet and told him that he was good in me, he would want me! I died for nothing!"

"And now he possesses the owner of the white bracelet so he can get the love he feels he deserves. It's a selfish and pathetic reason to continue hanging around. I mean, fuck me; I want to go to hell, Naoko. We don't get what we want, okay? Grow the fuck up and stop acting like a child!" Krad glared at the spirit, who took a step back.

"I just want to be loved! Is that so bad?" Naoko asked, tears in his eyes.

"No." Dark shook his head and took a step closer to the boy. "But how will you find your true love if you can't be reborn?" Dark knew he had Naoko's attention and grinned to himself. "If the man you made that bracelet for doesn't love you that just means that you haven't met the love of your life. He or she is probably out there waiting for you but because you're so bent on getting _any_ sort of love, even if it means possessing someone and accepting false love, you haven't allowed yourself to die and be reborn as the person you were meant to be in this life. If you had done that, you might have met the one you want to spend the rest of your life with by now."

Krad raised an eyebrow. _Fuck, Dark is really good at bullshitting someone. I never would've thought of half of that crap._ Krad glanced at Naoko, who seemed to be really thinking about it. _Thank god. I don't need to fight off a ghost as well as a demon._ Krad watched as everything was digested by the spirit. The boy looked up at Dark, seeing nothing but sincerity in his violet eyes. Krad could tell that Naoko was unsure on what to do. Haunting those bracelets for at least two millennia was all he knew. Krad was curious on if the boy knew how to move on.

"Do you really believe that?" Naoko asked Dark, who nodded.

"Why put four people through pain? You, the person you're possessing, that person's love and the love that is waiting for you. That's four people who are being hurt for no reason. All you need to do is let go of your anger and pain and think about the person who is waiting for you. Can you do that?"

Krad saw tears well in Naoko's eyes and stepped up to the boy. "Oh, sweetie. I know it's hard but letting it go and moving on means a happiness that will make all of this past pain seem like nothing."

Naoko sniffled and wiped his eyes. "How can you be so sure? Have either of you ever done it?"

Krad nodded. "I'm over three centuries old. Dark used to my eternal enemy until I let go of my anger and pain. He's now the love of my life and if you were to possess me, Dark would've known. It's only fair that you get to experience something that wonderful but you have to be willing to change."

Naoko glanced at Dark, who smiled encouragingly. Naoko slowly nodded. "I'm glad you knew I wasn't who I said I was." He smiled at the two angels through his tears.

Krad stepped back and stood beside Dark as Naoko lit up and disappeared in a blinding light. Dark turned to Krad. "How _did_ you know he wasn't who he said he was?"

"He was interested in me. Come on. Who would be interested in me, unless they were evil?" Krad grinned at Dark, who lowered his eyes. "What's wrong, Dark?"

"What you said, about me being the lov –"

"I had to say something to make him see the light. I knew you wouldn't be able to think of anything. Can we go eat now?" Krad washed his hands, even though he hadn't gone to the toilet and let the bathroom, sitting down and eating his cold meal.

Miyuki watched as Dark came out and waited for Naoko. When the boy didn't show up, she looked at Krad. "Where's Naoko?"

Krad glared at the girl. "He saw the light and I don't appreciate being used as the means to _your_ ends. If you strike a deal with someone like that again, _I'll_ kill you. With that said, I think you idiots should run before my mercy ends." Krad smirked as Miyuki and her friends got up and paid for their meals and left. "That was fun!"

"Yeah," Dark said dully. "Wonderful."

Krad stood and went to the counter, paid for his meal and walked out. Dark watched him go. As much as he wanted to run after him and hold him close, Dark forced himself to stay where he was. There was no point in chasing after someone who didn't love him back. Dark shook his head and stood; he quickly paid and ran after Krad. Just because Krad didn't _love_ him didn't mean that the blond didn't care for him. Dark wasn't going to give up the friendship just because he was having romantic feelings towards Krad, who obviously didn't share them back.

Dark ran through the mall and went up to the second level where he found Krad, standing outside of a store. Dark went up to him, wrapped an around his shoulders, kissed his cheek and whispered an apology into his ear. Krad looked at him and smiled, rested his head on his shoulder as they stepped into the store to browse. Dark pulled Krad over to the pants section and looked through their selection. He picked a pair of jeans that laced all the way up. He went to try them and Krad waited around patiently. His eyes widened when he looked at the front of the store, seeing Risa dragging Riku in. He bit his lower lip and stepped behind the curtain, holding his finger to his lips as Dark was about to question him.

"Risa's here," he whispered and Dark flinched. Krad pulled the curtain back, seeing Risa holding up shirts. He gasped when he felt warm arms around his bare abdomen and looked over his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"It's cozy in here. Plus you look extremely sexy today." Dark smirked, kissing the corner of Krad's mouth.

"That's not funny, Dark. If you keep this up, I'll throw you out there and shout your name and let you deal with Risa on your own." Krad grinned when the arms were removed instantly. Krad looked out again and saw that Risa disappeared to the female change rooms and turned around; studying the pants that Dark was wearing. "They look good. You should get them. If we're quick, we can be out of here before Risa gets out of the change room."

Krad stepped out of the small room, getting Riku's attention. Krad knew it didn't help when Dark stepped out of the same room, doing his pants up. Krad walked up to the girl, who smirked. "Please don't tell your sister that you saw us," he begged and Riku nodded. "Thank you!"

Dark paid for the pants and ran by Krad, taking his hand. He smiled thankfully at Riku, who went back to browsing. They ran up to the fourth level, where they stopped and laughed. They couldn't believe they had to sneak around the mall because of a girl that was two years younger than them. They were getting a lot of strange glances but they didn't care. Those people had no idea what they had narrowly escaped and they never would. They calmed down a little and Dark noticed that Krad's lips where resting in the crook of his neck, an arm around his shoulder, while his were around Krad's waist. That was probably why they were receiving strange looks.

Krad sighed and looked up at Dark. "Did we want to do some more shopping or call it quits in case Risa does see us?"

Dark checked the time and shrugged. "I'm happy with whatever you decide."

Krad laughed again and took Dark's hand, leading him downstairs. He made sure it was clear before they made a break for it. They down the next two stories and out into the open. Chuckling madmen, they began the walk back to the Hiwatari Mansion. Dark looked up when it began to snow and cursed. They couldn't walk back to the mansion dressed as they were, especially Krad. The blond would freeze if there was a cold wind. Krad pulled out his cell phone and rang the house. Satoshi answered and Krad asked him to send the driver to the mall, where the boys headed back to.

They stood under shelter as they watched the cars. Dark stood behind Krad, his arms wrapped around the blond, trying to keep him as warm as possible. Krad turned around in Dark's arms and slipped his hands up the back of Dark's shirt, nuzzling his throat. Dark frowned slightly and decided then was as good as a time as any to ask Krad about his gift. He had yet to unwrap it as he Krad hadn't given it to him.

"Krad, where's the gift you got me?"

Krad glanced up at Dark. "On your bedside chest."

Dark nodded. "And you got me two bracelets?" Krad 'uh-huh'd'. "And I'm assuming one's black and one's white?"

"Something like that. The guy that sold them to me said they were called the 'Gemini Lotus' and that if you wear one and give the other to the person you love you'll remain together," Krad explained, closing his eyes and enjoying Dark's scent.

Dark moved one of his hands up to Krad's chin and tilted it up. He lent down and Krad parted his lips. At that moment, he would've gladly killed Risa, when he heard the familiar scream of, "Dark-san!" He let go of Krad's chin and groaned. He had to question what he did to piss whoever was fucking with him at that moment off. At the same time, he was thankful as their ride arrived and he quickly pushed Krad towards it, wanting to get away from Risa and pretend he never heard her voice. The got in the back, after brushing the snow off their bodies.

Both angels gratefully sank into the warmth of the car. Krad applied more the balm and then closed his eyes, waiting for his body to warm up completely. Dark looked out the tinted window, wishing Risa hadn't ruined that moment for him. Dark made fists as his eyes slid over to Krad. He would have to spend some time in the shower when they got home or he would jump Krad. _Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea,_ his brain told him and Dark growled, getting Krad's attention. Krad got onto his knees and pecked Dark on the cheek.

"What's bothering you, thief?"

Dark shook his head and smiled. "Just an internal war."

Krad ran his tongue over his lips, enjoying the strawberry taste. "What about?"

Dark thought quickly. _Do I tell me him the truth or do I lie? Truth or lie? Truth or lie? Lie or truth?_ Dark decided to go from something else. "Truth or dare?" he asked randomly.

Krad frowned slightly and lowered his eyes. "Um…Truth, I guess?"

Dark shifted and tapped Krad's chin, making the blond at him. He could see the uncertainty in his eyes as Dark knew Krad knew what question he was going to ask. Dark didn't want to ask it though. The answer scared him. Especially if it was the answer he was expecting. If Krad said no, Dark didn't know what he would do. Rejection was something he wasn't accustom to and he didn't want to get accustom it. He wanted to be able to have what he wanted. _I don't _want_ him, though,_ Dark told himself. _I _need_ him._ Dark looked out the window again. He wasn't going to ask a question.

"Dark?"

Dark ignored him. If Krad knew what the question was, he could answer it if he wanted to. Dark wasn't going to force it out of him. Krad said his name again and Dark could hear the hurt in his voice as Krad wasn't used to being ignored, especially not recently. Everyone seemed to hang on to his last word but Dark wasn't going to be rejected. Krad had rejected him once that day and he wasn't going to put himself through it again. _Is this what it's like to be Krad? Shutting everything out except doubt?_ He felt Krad's presence move away from him and lowered his eyes. He didn't want to hurt Krad but to save himself, he had to. _That's kind of a douche move,_ his heart scolded. Dark didn't care, though. He was safe and maybe he shouldn't be in the same house as the blond.

Dark frowned. What was he doing? If he distanced himself from Krad, pretty soon it would be Daisuke and that would crush the redhead. Dark wasn't going to turn into a bastard. He had seen what it'd done to Krad and Dark wasn't going to be like that. So what if Krad rejected him? At least Dark would know for certain he had no chance in hell. Sometimes, emotions did suck and it was no wonder that Krad locked his away for so long. _What if Krad is mistaking infatuation for love, though?_ Dark thought about it. It was possible but Krad was smart enough to know the difference between the two. _Or is he? Remember, he's locked them away for quite a while,_ his brain taunted and Dark sighed to himself.

They pulled up to the front door. Dark got out; Krad following. They went inside, removed their shoes and went upstairs. Once in the bedroom, Dark closed the door and turned to Krad, who was putting his new shirt away. Dark was dead certain that he was in love with Krad. So why was he so uneasy about asking him a question or even revealing his own feelings? There was no reason for him to hide them; after all, Krad would've picked up on them by that point. Unless Krad was purposely ignoring the advances Dark was making, except that dream. That had been completely out of his hands but Krad didn't seem scared by it and almost looked as though he wanted Dark to continue. Of course, Dark could continue to hide behind the rejection thing but he wasn't that cowardly.

Krad removed the short sleeved jacket he wore over the shirt, which followed soon after. He threw them into the washing basket and pulled on a ratty hoodie, doing the zipper up. He removed the collar and put it on the vanity. He was about to leave his room when Dark stood in his way, blocking his exit. He tried stepping to the right and left but Dark wasn't going to let him go. Instead, Krad decided to walk across his bed and go to the bathroom to wash all the make up off his face. It might be natural stuff but even that could cause blemishes.

Dark stood in the doorway to the en suit, watching Krad but not seeing him. _If I ask him outright if he loves me, will that scare him? Should I ask him something that resembles that but isn't that question directly? Should I just ask if he's attracted to me? No, because friends are attracted to your personality._ Dark audibly sighed and focused his eyes on Krad's back as the blond dried his face. He really hated his mind at times. If it wasn't his heart and brain, his mind would vacate the loft and leave him alone.

"Krad, are you ready for that question?" When the blond nodded, Dark took a deep breath. "Do you love me, honestly?"

* * *

End Chapter IV.

See? Absolutely no idea where this damn story is going! I have no direction and right now, it's just a way to get those two into bed! God, I think I need a lot of mental help. Anyways, please review and next chapter, I'll try to work the creepy dream that Danaeyl sent me into it! And if anyone has any idea where they think this story is heading, please, please, **_please _** tell me!


	5. Gemini Lotus V

**~Gemini Lotus~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

**Special Guest Star:** Danaeyl Panthernopaeus.

* * *

The bedroom was always the best spot. It had been the bedroom the first time. The first time that had lasted so long. Several centuries and that was bliss. The bedroom. Everyone always broke in the bedroom, which was why it was the ideal spot. If one hung around long enough, it would find its victim. It would be able to taste the succulence of innocence. Pure, unrestrained innocence. The kind one could only find in an infant, now. Children became tainted so easily. But not him. He had been innocent for so long that it took forty years to fully corrupt him.

It grinned. It actually had a name but no one cared. They thought it was gone. That the blond had managed to be rid of the demon that had haunted him. The one responsible for twisting and morphing the beautiful angel in a killer. A thing that would be more than grateful to kill his host rather than make sure he was fine. Yes, it remembered how sweet the blond's tears had tasted the first time he was forced to do something he didn't want. The tears had tasted like a perfectly aged wine or a bite of watermelon on a hot summer's day. It had been memorable. It was the one that forced all the blond's friends to call him 'Monster' and 'Demonic angel'. Some even went as far as to call the pale jewel 'Spawn of Satan'. Oh, that one had been classic. No one used it anymore and that upset the monster very much.

But no one ever knew what the name of the demon was. No one wanted to know and they just called it Krad. Every time something bad was to happen, it was blamed on Krad, not the actual demon. The transition had been slow enough for the demon to sit back and enjoy its handy work. It did want some of the credit, naturally as demons were very vain but it never received what it wanted. Not until recently, when those that house the thief figured it out. They knew what was lurking behind those gold eyes. They could still see the angel inside the demon. They were the one that had branded the light angel as a monster, a demon, the spawn of Satan. They came up with all the names but once it was removed from him, the blond became friends with them. He ignored the past three hundred years of pain they had caused. And that had made it smirk.

It called itself Lucifer but it wasn't Lucifer. Its name was actually Berith. It did love the confusion that would play throughout Krad's mind. The unspeakable acts it made the poor blond do just for its entertainment. The way the blond would scream and beg for it to be gone. Yes, Berith remembered it all. There wasn't a day that went by when it didn't remember the 'good ole days'. It wanted those days again. It would stop at nothing to be back in the blond. It was safe in there. Why did that stupid artwork have to freak out and give that beautiful blond his own body?

Krad's body was the only vessel fit for Berith. Berith had once been a prince but that was long ago. Krad's body was beautiful, enchanting. It wanted nothing more than raze the earth and have Krad standing as the victor. It wasn't a selfish demon. It was only doing what it knew Krad wanted. Krad wanted everyone who had shunned him to pay the ultimate price; torture and death. It could get off for days on those thoughts but it needed a body in order to do that. It wanted to be in that blond again. The only being on that miserable planet that was worthy enough to be possessed by the former prince Berith. All the blood it could spill. All the bodies it could violate. It needed that blond more than that other angel did. The angel that was responsible for Berith taking over in the first place.

All it took was one act of impurity and Berith had what it needed. It had a vessel and it was going to kill that angel. Of course, Krad blamed Dark for the possession and Berith didn't blame him. It was Dark's fault. Killing that angel would have been fun, had Krad kept some of his sanity and not let his anger rule him. Yes, even Berith had a hard time keeping Krad under control at points. The blond's rage was his drive for quite some time and Berith loved it. Just as Krad had been so possessive of his hosts was Berith just as possessive of the blond. An act of pure love would dispel the demon and it couldn't have that. Krad would die before Berith gave the blond up. It needed that body back. It had so much left to do, namely pleasing its master.

The Father of Lies was the only one it aimed to please. Berith didn't care about anything else, not even Krad's body. It just needed that body in order to gain its own selfish desires. Three months and already Berith was growing weaker. Krad had the ability to force it out of his love. Berith couldn't have that. It needed to become stronger but without someone to animate, it was useless. All it could was try and make Krad crack again. The one that Krad had lived within for years was too strong for Berith to possess, even the little redhead. If it had been at its full strength, none of them would've stood a chance. They were getting off lightly compared to what it could do.

It could only get Dark when the angel was asleep and without Krad's warmth. That had been the first thing Berith was drawn to. Purity was a warmth unlike no other. All demons strived to touch it and when one found an innocence so pure it was impossible to imagine, there was usually hell to pay. Every demon from every country would be drawn to a certain area; all wanting a taste. It never lasted long. Not with thousands of demons feeding from it. It took days, sometimes weeks, for the innocence to die and become corrupt. Krad had taken years and that was only because there was one feasting from the bright light the angel had shone. The only one capable of touching it was Berith, that was once a Cherubim.

It curved its lips as it hovered around the vanity. The place of the room where Krad made himself so beautiful everyday. That forsaken lip balm that Dark gave him. Berith had laughed at that. They hadn't heard it as they were too wrapped up in each other. Berith would find a way of killing that other angel. How dare that fiend touch _its_ Virtue! Krad was not a typical angel, it knew but if he were, he would most certainly be a Virtue, bestowing the gift of faith in those that were struggling. It couldn't wait to be inside that body again. It missed the feeling of having feet and arms. Trivial things, it knew but without a body, it would soon be forgotten and would disappear. It wouldn't be able to have that body again and that just wasn't allowed.

There had to be a way to crack the blond, again! It had happened once and it had almost happened again but that other angel always made sure that Krad's anger never got out of control. Eliminate the other angel. There had to be a way to do that. It knew there wasn't as the angels were always together. They weren't going to be apart for some time, considering both of them had missed the other badly during the three months. Berith went over to the bedside chest that Krad had given to the other angel and looked at the box on it. The Gemini Lotus. They had rid themselves of the spirit that haunted it but Berith was no spirit and it would take more than pretty words to make _it_ disappear. Perhaps it could use those bracelets to its advantage. If they were to spend a night in lust, then it could make its move.

The Gemini Lotus, it mused. It hadn't seen those bracelets in near a millennia and for good reason, too. The one that had haunted there was true to his word, the pair that wore them would be together forever. No one said they had to be alive while they were together, though. People always did miss the fine print in contracts that they unwilling signed. Krad had been more careful, though. He made sure he knew everything about the beautiful pieces of artwork before he was going to give them to Dark. The love and dedication that the original owner had put into them was what made them so powerful. He had nothing but the best intentions in mind. Of course, like Berith, those intentions became a little more sinister. Like it, he would do anything to feel want he needed. The spirit might be gone but the power of the bracelets was just as strong as it was when he was around.

It moved away from the bracelets. It knew it was going to have a hard time trying to put the bracelet on Krad as it could feel its power slowly fading. The more it was ignore or hated the more those angels were winning against it. It didn't want that. It was lonely. It only wanted a friend that it could screw with and torment. It didn't want to move to another place and find another delicious mind to warp and twist. Krad was getting too comfortable having his own mind and body and Berith was not pleased by that. At one point Krad had depended on the monster in him. Krad had actually asked Berith to make him strong enough to kill Dark, once the blond realized he was blaming the wrong person for having that demon in him. Berith hadn't done what the blond wanted. After all, it was stupid. If it had done that, what was going to stop Krad from leaving it? The only reason Krad kept it for so long was to defeat Dark and when that failed and Dark sealed them away, Krad turned from Berith. Shunned it and made it outcaste.

Berith needed a reason for Krad to call upon his strength again. Granted, Krad never called upon its strength, except for one occasion and that was the one and only time Krad would ever have asked a demon for help. Berith knew that Krad was expecting it to not give the blond what he wanted, so there was no sense of betrayal. After all, it had been there for Krad when no one else was. It had been Krad's only friend for such a long time. Could Krad really say that he didn't enjoy all the havoc and madness they created together? Most likely. Krad was an angel, after all.

It felt like a hunter. It had stalked its prey and now it just waited for the perfect opportunity to strike. It would feast within the next week. It had waited too long. Watching Dark doing unspeakable acts in the blond's bed, thinking about its Krad. No one was allowed that privilege. No one was even allowed to think of its Krad in that manner. It might have been responsible for two or three of the fantasies that Dark had had but there was no proof. Dark had loved them, too. Still, Dark certainly was not good enough for its Krad. There wasn't a single being on that planet that would be. All of them were horrible, disgusting creatures. They wallowed in self-pity. They were more violent than a legion of demons or angels. They killed for pleasure and while it liked that idea, it wanted its vessel back to do that again.

Krad cried so beautifully when taking a life. Without me, Krad is weak, it told itself. It continued to tell itself that there was only a matter of time before Krad realized that about himself and would gladly accept it back into him. He almost had the previous night, had that angel not made it show its true colors. How Berith hated Dark. The only being that could keep its Krad from it. It was losing everything it needed. Its vessel and its power. It needed its power so it could continue to harm its Krad and make the blond crack. It needed the power to instill those dreams into Dark's mind and make them come true, to an extent. It would never want to kill Krad. It had saved Krad's life when the blond tried to take it, after cutting his throat. It was going to let the blond escape that easily. If Krad continued to ignore it or be angry towards it, it would use the last of its power to make sure no one could ever have Krad again.

* * *

Dark saw the shock that played over Krad's face at the question. The pale angel had been expecting the question but even then, he wasn't prepared for it. Krad bit his lower lip. He was going to answer honestly, if only he could get the courage up to do it. He didn't want Dark to think he was some sort of freak and leave him. Krad knew he had feelings for Dark; it was only of the reasons why he had tried taking his life. Of course, when he hadn't died, Krad took that as a sign. But the monster that haunted him wouldn't leave him alone at that time. Krad lowered his eyes to his wrists. Even though they were covered, he could see all the scars that were on them. Every time he thought that monster was going to take over, he would cut himself to take his mind off it. It worked, too.

Raising his eyes, Krad gazed at Dark. The tanned angel's face looked strained, like he was expecting some form of rejection. At least, that's what Krad thought. With that thought in mind, Krad nodded slowly, a blush staining his cheeks. It was going to feel good to let all the pent up emotions he had been harboring for so long out. Dark frowned slightly when Krad nodded and Krad bit his lower lip, knowing that Dark wanted to hear his answer. Krad opened his mouth but his voice had left him. His mind was whirling around and somewhere in that mix was his voice.

Dark was the same, even if Krad didn't know it. He couldn't find his voice but knew he had to. Krad had nodded but that wasn't what Dark wanted. He knew that Krad knew he wanted to hear the blond say it. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stand in the silence. One thing made him feel a lot more confident was the nod. He reached out and pulled Krad against his body, feeling the blond relax in his arms and hold onto him just as tightly as Dark was holding him. He kissed the side of Krad's head and closed his eyes. Everything just seemed so perfect when Krad was in his arms. The sweet scents of strawberry and vanilla and the floral of jasmine was perfect.

Dark opened his eyes when he felt Krad move his head. He turned to look at the blond and Krad pressed his lips to Dark's for a second. It was brief but it made Dark's heart flutter. The strawberry taste still on his lips, Dark dipped his head and kissed the mark on Krad's neck that he had made the night before. He wanted to make his bigger and darker, just to let everyone know that Krad was his. Krad whispered his name and Dark moaned, biting Krad's neck. Krad screamed and Dark pulled away. Fear took over Dark's senses as Krad shoved him out of the bathroom and kept shoving him backwards. He kept stuttering apologies and promising never to do it again when he landed on the bed. He looked at the white covers, frowning slightly but something clicked when Krad crawled on top him. Dark groaned as Krad kissed him. Dark wasn't going to be on the bottom, though.

Taking control of the situation quickly, Dark pinned Krad to the bed, unzipping the hoodie. He pulled back from the kiss and removed his shirt, reattaching them back to Krad's instantly. Dark pulled Krad's upper body up and removed the jacket, breaking the kiss and admire Krad's torso in the fading light. It was more beautiful that he could ever have imagined. He lent down and ran his tongue along Krad's abdomen, feeling the muscles quiver. The pale skin tasted like strawberry and vanilla and Dark undid the button on Krad's jeans, who took hold of his hands and changed their positions.

Dark smirked as Krad undid his jeans and pulled them off, doing the same with his own. Krad gently spread Dark's legs and Dark raised an eyebrow. The tanned angel doubted that Krad had had much experience when it came to sex and thought it would be fun to teach him. That thought was driven away, as well all others, when Krad ran his tongue over the head of his erection. Dark groaned as his member was engulfed by a moist heat. He gripped the covers as he expelled his breath in a short burst. He looked down his body and saw Krad's dainty fingers wrapped around half of his member. It was beautiful to feel such pleasure from the golden angel. Dark wasn't going to be greedy, though. There would be bother times for that. It didn't matter that Dark was a naturally greedy entity.

Dark forced an elbow to support his upper body as he reached down with the other. He tilted Krad's chin and his cock slipped from the blond's mouth. Dark smirked again and forced Krad up his body by his chin, slipping his tongue into the mouth. Dark was going to be a little greedy as he was going to do what he had been wanting for the past three months. Dark and Krad came to the silent agreement that that night was about their body's needs. They could work on the love section of sex later. And Dark was going to be rough. His needs outweighed his logical thinking as he pulled back from the kiss and shoved Krad face first into the soft pillows of the bed.

Running a hand over a cheek, Dark used the other to rip Krad's head back by his hair. "This is going to hurt like a motherfucker, Krad."

Krad smirked over his shoulder, eyes glazed with lust and not a hint of fear or doubt. "Bitch, please. I've had three fucking centuries to learn how to turn pain into pleasure. If you're gonna do it, then fucking do it. Don't be all talk and no show."

Dark released Krad's hair. One hand on the blond's hips and the other on his cock to guide it, Dark entered Krad in one sweep. The sudden tightness was a tad uncomfortable and even Krad hissed in pain. A minute or two later, Dark had adjusted and began moving his hips. Krad had relaxed around him, which was an indication, not that Dark cared at the moment, that he could move. There was nothing there to help with the entries, except Krad's blood. Dark knew he would have to apologize for that but until, he moaned, sliding his hands up Krad's sides to his shoulders.

Dark looked out the double window above Krad's bed when lightning flashed. He smirked and moved his hips a little faster, hearing Krad moan. The small noises the blond made, the pants, moans and even the noises that sounded like squeaks were everything that Dark had imagined they would be. It was everything his body needed. Dark wrapped Krad's hair around his hand and pulled Krad up to his knees, holding the blond's back against his chest as he continued his movements. Krad's head fell back onto Dark's shoulder as he moaned, which was drowned out by a clap of thunder. Dark glanced out the window again, seeing a snowstorm heading towards them.

Dark bit the muscle between Krad's shoulder and neck, the blond moaning more loudly than he was before. Dark pulled his mouth back, seeing the perfect bite mark, blood gathering in the places where he had broken the skin and making a thin line down the back and front of Krad's body. He licked Krad's ear before whispering into it, "Is my Krad a masochist?" Dark thrust his hips up more violently.

"Mm-hmm!" Krad moaned. It was true. Three centuries of pain had taught him how to turn it into pleasure and a little help from the monster in him, too. "Stop being gentle."

Berith watched as the two angels lost themselves in the senseless, sickening emotion of passion. It wouldn't break its Krad and it knew that. It growled but they didn't pay attention. Krad only had ears for Dark at that moment and that wouldn't do. Berith wanted them to pay attention it. But even it wasn't that stupid. It knew that they were lost in pleasure. They wouldn't care if it set fire to the room and it would have, if it had the power. Three months of no acknowledgment was enough to drain it of almost all of its power but its Krad was back. It knew it could break the blond, if given the chance.

It continued to watch. Krad's blood ran down Dark's member and legs, spotting the white covers of the bed. It was a disgusting act to witness but Berith wasn't going to look away. It knew they could feel its eyes on them and they didn't care. They continued to ignore it and its anger was going up further. It would kill Dark. Krad would break if Dark wasn't there to keep him sane. It hovered in front of Krad, invisible to their eyes, not that it mattered. They only had eyes for each other. They only had desire for each other. It pissed Berith off. How dare they ignore it! How dare they pretend it wasn't there!

It curled its lip back in a snarl when Krad began pleasuring himself, thoughts of Dark on the blond's mind. That traitor! It hissed when Krad screamed out in ecstasy, the white fluid going onto his stomach and Dark following soon behind the blond. Berith moved away from the two angels as they collapsed onto the bed, panting like rabid dogs. It knew what Krad was thinking. It and the blond still had a connection, even if Krad refused to admit. Plus Berith had the ability to read anyone's mind. Like the two boys had heard most of it and went downstairs to watch television. Krad wanted more and so did Dark. Those animals.

Krad turned his head and smiled at Dark, who smiled back and brushed his hair off his face. Krad moved closer and kissed Dark deeply, moaning into the violet angel's mouth as a hand slid down Dark's body and between his legs. He teased the organ and felt Dark smirked against his lips. It was made obvious what they both wanted as Dark grabbed Krad's shoulder and pulled the blond on top of him. The kiss broke and they shared the same smirk.

"You're a sex fiend, Krad," Dark groaned out as Krad rubbed their erections together.

"You consensually raped me and bit me. How could I not be turned on again after that?" Krad took a hard nipple between his teeth and tugged gently on it.

"Oh, fuck…The things I could do to you..."

"The things I _want_ you to do to me…" Krad held Dark's cock in place as he lowered himself onto it, moaning loudly.

Dark let out a shaky breath of pleasure as Krad impaled himself. His eyes didn't miss a thing, from the way Krad lent back, resting his hands on Dark's thighs to the way he blond didn't beat around the bush and raised and lowered himself like there was no tomorrow. Dark found himself wishing he had a collar and leash for Krad. Dark moaned loudly at the thought of Krad being completely under his control. It was a thought that always excited Dark about the blond. Even more so then since Krad had put on weight. Dark ran his hands up Krad's torso, smearing the mess Krad made on himself from their previous run, and dragged his nails over the blond's nipples, making him practically scream in pleasure.

Krad lent forward, hands now on Dark's shoulders, nails digging into tanned skin, as he stared down into amethyst orbs. Dark rested his hands on Krad's hips, staring into the gold eyes that looked extra beautiful with lust swirling in them. Dark began raising his own hips to meet Krad whenever the blond lowered him. Pretty soon the sound of skin smacking skin was nearly louder than Krad's moans. Moving one hand to Krad's neglected erection, Dark stroked the blond in time with them. Minutes later, Krad was screaming as fresh semen mixed with the old on his abdomen. Dark came with a shout of 'fuck' and wrapped his arms around Krad's shoulders when the blond collapsed on him.

Dark removed his member from Krad and kissed the top of his head. He raised an eyebrow when Krad rolled his hips and could feel Krad's new erection on his hip. It would seem that the centuries of no sex were catching up with the blond and Dark wasn't sure how much longer he could last if Krad continued to get hard almost instantly. Dark smirked and slipped a hand between their bodies, grasping Krad's new hard on. The blond raised his hips slightly and Dark stroked it, listening to Krad's groans in his ear. It was enough to turn Dark on but he still needed a few more minutes and decided that Krad shouldn't have to suffer.

Dark continued running his hand up and down Krad's length as the blond kissed his jaw and then finally his lips. Dark pretty much forced his tongue into Krad's mouth as he gave the erection a rough jerk, making Krad moan. Krad began moving his hips in time with Dark's hand, the nails in his skin digging in deeper and deeper until Krad moaned out his name, more of his essence spilling onto Dark's hip and hand. Dark stroked it a few seconds longer and released it. Somehow, Dark just knew they weren't going to get much sleep that night and school the next day was going to difficult. It didn't stop him from sitting up and pushing Krad onto his back, slipping between his legs and entering his new erection into the blond's rear, though.

* * *

Krad entered his bedroom, a cup of coffee in one hand, a strawberry smoothie in the other and a piece of toast hanging from his mouth. His alarm had gone off ten minutes ago but Krad had been awake twenty minutes before it was due to sound. He showered, even though he and Dark showered before going to sleep and switched his alarm off when it sounded. He ran the coffee under Dark's nose and the violet angel jerked away. Krad giggled around the toast and put the coffee on the bedside chest as Dark sat up, running his hands through his hair.

At quarter to three that morning, they decided it would be best if they went to school at least _some_ sleep and Dark was already regretting that decision. He felt worse than he had in a while and the previous night felt like a dream. He picked up the coffee and took a mouthful, eyes trained on Krad. He was wondering if it was a dream when Krad lent down and pressed their lips together. When the blond pulled back, Dark smirked. At least it wasn't a dream. He trailed his eyes over Krad's body, wondering if they had enough time for one more round before they went to school.

"No."

Dark pouted slightly and threw the covers back, getting to his feet. He stretched the hand that wasn't holding the coffee over his head and went into the bathroom, placing the cup on the basin. He brushed his teeth and washed his face. Knowing last night wasn't a dream had woken him up, significantly. He picked up the coffee and finished it, going back into the bedroom and handing Krad the empty cup. The blond said he would be in the kitchen making breakfast after he got Satoshi and Daisuke up. Dark nodded and dressed in the school uniform. He heard Krad shout a threat about throwing rotten eggs at the boys if they didn't get up and close Satoshi's door.

Dark happily bounced downstairs and into the kitchen as Krad started on the fourth batch of pancakes. Dark's stomach growled and picked up one, folding it up and ate it as he sat down at the breakfast counter, watching Krad. He couldn't help but notice how much more relaxed Krad appeared to be as he plated the pancakes and divided them onto four plates, getting maple syrup and butter. He placed the plates on the breakfast counter as Daisuke and Satoshi made their way into the kitchen. Daisuke wouldn't look at either of the angels and even Satoshi was having a hard time making eye contact.

"We're sorry," Krad said and finished his smoothie. "I don't think we planned on it going _that_ long."

Satoshi raised his head and gave his former curse a sleepy glare. "I don't care how long it went; it was the noise you two were making. The least you could've done was put your music on so we didn't have to hear you moaning and screaming."

"At least I made your favorite breakfast to make up for it." Krad poured orange juice into two glasses and put them in front of the boys. He had a feeling they could do with coffee instead but didn't want to run the risk of seeing Daisuke on a caffeine rush. It had been bad enough when Satoshi was on one and it made the blue haired boy slightly paranoid.

"I'll give you that," Satoshi agreed slowly, drinking his juice. "Could I have a coffee as well? I think I'll need all the energy I can get today." Satoshi observed as Krad nodded and poured him a cup, adding one sugar cube and a splash of cream. "I'm quite surprised that you're this lively after a night and morning like the one you just had, Krad."

Krad shrugged as he handed Satoshi his cup and another to Dark, then went back to his own breakfast. "Yeah, shocker." He wasn't being sarcastic about it, either. He was expecting himself to be the way Dark was, only having enough energy to smile goofily. Krad looked at Daisuke, who blushed and went back to gazing at his pancakes. "Daisuke, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. If anyone should be feeling ashamed, it should me and Dark but it was a natural act."

"I'm not a four-year-old, Krad, I know what sex is," Daisuke mumbled, taking a sip of his juice. "Its just that Dark always said you have the libido of a stick." The redhead shifted nervously, not sure if he wanted to know how Krad would react to that comment.

Krad laughed. "I guess I proved him wrong, then!" he declared triumphantly.

Dark smirked. "More than once and in more than one position." He chuckled evilly when Daisuke blushed the same color as a tomato and Satoshi groaned.

Krad shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Dark, if you tell anyone at school about what we did, what positions we used and how many times we did it, I'll gut you on the spot."

Dark's face went serious as he gazed at Krad. "So, I'm assuming we're not a couple, then?" _I swear, if he just used me to get what _he_ wanted, I'll kill him._ Dark waited for an answer.

"If you want us to be but I don't want the entire school knowing about our sex life."

Satoshi raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, because I'm sure the entire school is deaf. The whole town heard you two last night and that was over the storm."

While Krad and Satoshi bantered about which was louder, Dark smiled at the blond. He never really thought about being in a relationship with Krad but since the blond had changed so much, Dark was looking forward to it. As soon as everyone saw Krad, Dark knew he would the most envied boy in the building. The girls were panting after Krad when he was skeleton with skin stretched over it. Once they saw him the way he was, they would stop at nothing and when they found out he was in a relationship with Dark…Oh, Dark couldn't wait to see the look on Risa's face when she heard about it.

They finished breakfast and Krad quickly did the dishes before they went into the foyer, pulling their shoes on. The conversation turned to the play and Krad groaned in annoyance. He had forgotten about that stupid subject. He was going to demand that he work on the sets, whether the class wanted him to or not. He wasn't an actor, even though he and Dark were brilliant in that area but Krad didn't want to be in the spotlight, especially considering Risa would inject herself into the play and it was still taking all of Krad's self-restraint to not kill her.

As they walked to the car, Daisuke was practically begging Krad that if chosen to play a lead role in the production, if he would do it. Daisuke didn't want to partnered with Dark, especially considering the girls would try to put some romance in there. Daisuke fought that if there was a kissing scene, which would Krad rather have Dark kiss: him being Krad, Satoshi or himself being Daisuke. The redhead was not impressed when Krad just shrugged and said that Dark was a professional, so it didn't matter who he kissed. Daisuke had no problem with two males kissing; he just didn't want to be one of said males. With a sigh, he got into the back of the car. Satoshi had tried to warn the smaller boy that Krad was as stubborn as a mule when he wanted to be but seeing as Daisuke didn't listen to him, Satoshi had enjoyed watching Krad crush what little hope he had.

Of course, Daisuke was his best friend, so Satoshi said to Krad, "Do it, Krad or I'll ban Dark from the house."

"That's not fair!" Krad whined, pouting at his former host, who just shrugged. "Fine! But if I have to kiss Risa, guess who's dying in their sleep."

Daisuke gulped, Satoshi shifted uncomfortably at the look in Krad's eye and Dark snickered. Only Krad would think that kissing Risa was a fate worse than death. She wasn't bad at it, Dark would admit but Krad was obviously gay and made it painfully clear that he didn't find Risa attractive, at all. In the slightest. Wouldn't touch her with a ten foot pole. Dark wrapped an arm around Krad's shoulders and told the blond that if he did have to kiss Risa he could kiss Dark immediately after to try and ride himself of the cooties.

They arrived at the school a few minutes later than usual but still before the first bell. Dark and Krad walked side-by-side, practically holding hands towards their homeroom. Other students were already whispering to each other about how close they were and how different Krad looked. The blond looked over at Miyuki and raised an eyebrow. She quickly adverted her eyes and Krad smirked. The angels arrived at the homeroom as the first bell rang. They took their seats and that was when Dark noticed that Krad wasn't wearing a collar and his scars were on full display for anyone to see. As he was about to ask about it, the teacher stepped into the room and automatically jumped onto the topic of the play.

Krad's groan mixed with those of the rest of the males in the class, which was drowned out by the squealing of the girls. The teacher said that she had spoken with the others about it and they decided to do a rendition of Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast'. Krad groaned again, knowing that _if_ he were cast as one of the lead roles, he would be Belle. The teacher, Mrs. Takahashi asked the class who they think should play Belle and the Beast. She took votes for the Beast first and it was unanimous for Dark, who smirked and thanked them. Krad held back his anger when his name was mentioned to play Belle. He should've known. God hated him and donkeys.

Mrs. Takahashi nodded and told the class to stand; they were going to the join the class they were working with. The students filed out of the room, down the hall, down the stairs and into the classroom with the fifteen-year-olds. Dark and Krad stood beside their former hosts, who were seated next to each other. Mrs. Takahashi and the other teacher, Mr. Saitou spoke quietly for a minute before they nodded. Dark informed Daisuke and Satoshi that he had been cast as the part for Beast and they nodded, already knowing.

"Okay, students. Who should play the part of Belle?" Mr. Saitou asked, getting a mixed reply of Krad and Risa. He should've known that was going to happen. "Okay, write down the name of the person you want to play Belle on a slip of paper and pass it up to the front of your row. We'll count the votes."

Krad wrote down Risa's name, still having a bad feeling about it. He handed it to the boy in front of Satoshi, and on it went. The students waited for the teachers to count the votes and announce who would be playing the so-called 'damsel in distress'. Both Krad and Risa were praying it would be the girl. Krad cursed when his name was called out. Even voting for the girl that he didn't like had still given him the part. Krad couldn't believe it. He was expecting it but he still couldn't believe it. Risa's friends tried to console her about her loss but the girl was determined to make the most of the play.

"Okay, who's to play Belle's father?" Mrs. Takahashi asked and Daisuke got that part. "The talking clock?" That part went to Satoshi. "The talking candle?" Saehara got that part and there were snickers about it, too. "The talking teapot?" There was some debate about that but eventually the part went to Miyuki and Krad smirked. While Mrs. Takahashi asked the questions, Mr. Saitou wrote it all down and within five minutes, all the parts were taken. Riku was going to play Gaston as she was more manly than most of the men in the room and some kid by the name of Kenji was going to play Gaston's idiot sidekick. There was basically a part for every student in the two classes but the ones that had small parts were to work on the sets and costumes, which Risa said she would do after she got everyone's measurements.

Considering that homeroom and first class were the same, when the bell rang none of the students moved and continued talking about the play. Five students, two of the younger class and three of the older, decided they were going to write the script and asked what changes everyone wanted. The room went dead silent as everyone thought about it. Krad smirked as he got an idea about how to make it somewhat the same but different and give it a twist at the end that the audience would never expect.

"How about if instead of the Beast killing Gaston, they kill each other and grief stricken Belle commits suicide to be with the Beast, leaving the castle still under the curse but without a master?" he suggested, the eyes of the writers lighting up as they agreed it was a good idea.

One of the older girls, Naomi asked, "Do we keep the rose or change it something else?"

Krad shook his head. "Keep it but let's go back to the original and make it a white rose instead of when Disney screwed it up and made it pink."

Naomi quickly scribbled it down. "Any other changes you guys want?"

Risa wasn't going to be shown up by Krad a second time and tried to think of something. "How about instead of beautiful and graceful, Belle is ugly and clumsy?"

Krad stared at Risa. "That defeats the purpose of her being named 'Belle', then, doesn't it? But the clumsy part is awesome. I can get some lessons from Daisuke."

The redhead groaned and blushed with embarrassment as the others laughed, the writers making a note of it. "Anything else?" a younger one, Takara enquired.

"Yeah," Riku piped up, "can I beat the crap out of LeFou more? He really annoys me."

Takara grinned. "Sure, I don't see why not."

Kenji looked worried about playing the part of Gaston's sidekick after that and Krad didn't blame the boy. Riku could break him without trying. No one else had anything more to add for changes and the group left the room, going to a computer lab to type up the script and print out enough copies for everyone. Quiet chatter started between the students and Risa quickly drew up designs for all the costumes, including her own. She was playing the feather duster that Lumiere flirted with. Everyone went silent when Takara appeared in the doorway, breathless.

"We're also leaving out the songs, except the one that plays during the dance scene, oaky?"

Everyone nodded and went back to what they were talking about. Risa was going to keep the design of Belle's ball gown the same as it was in the Disney movie. She was having a hard time debating on whether or not she should change the color. She decided to keep it gold, as it would probably bring out Krad's eyes more. She might not be happy about the fact that Krad had gotten that part instead of her but she wasn't going to try and sabotage the play. And the costumes were a major part of it, so she would still get a lot of credit at the end. Opening her bag, Risa pulled out a measuring tape and stepped up to the two angels, asking to take their measurements. She called them out to one of her friends, who wrote them down. After getting what she needed, she went back to her desk and sat down. She then began calling everyone over by the character and got her friend to measure them as she wrote it down.

Krad sat on Satoshi's desk, Dark between his legs. "Are you ready to be ravaged by the big, bad Beast?"

Mrs. Takahashi told Dark to step back. The violet angel pouted but as was requested and Satoshi was eternally grateful to the teacher. He was still at his desk while that was happening and had wished that Risa had called out his character. He didn't need to see those flirting with each other. It was bad enough that he would have to deal with it when he got home. Risa asked for permission to be excused so she and her friends could get started on the costumes and hopefully have them done in two weeks. The teachers nodded and Risa, as well as four of her friends, left the room. Before the bell rang to end first period, Mrs. Takahashi asked for their attention.

"Well begin rehearsals tomorrow, as the scripts should be done by the end of today. That should give you all enough time to read over your lines and decide which way would be best to act them out," she told them and they nodded. The bell rang and the older students said goodbye to the younger ones as they parted in the hall.

Dark and Krad followed their class to the science room, still talking about the play. Krad was bitching about having to wear and dress and Dark was gloating about the fact that he had finally gotten Krad into a dress. It wasn't Lolita but it would have to do. Krad just rolled his eyes and shook his head as they entered the room, sitting next to each other. Mr. Ito watched them and Dark curled the corner of his top lip in disgust. As Dark had guessed, Ito sprung a 'surprise' test on the class, which groaned and put their books away.

Krad pulled out a pencil and got ready to kick the test's ass, even if it didn't have one. When every student in the class had it, Ito looked at his watch and told them to start. It was a no-notes test and Krad smirked. He didn't need notes as Ito was predictable with the questions. It was another chemistry based test and Dark and Krad were whizzing through it, silently challenging the other to see who could finish first. There was a hushed murmur in the room as other students tried to work out the answers. Dark and Krad glanced at the other, smirking.

Half way through the period, they slammed their pencils down at the same time. They got up and handed them in to the teacher, who marked them there. If it wasn't for the fact that their answers were very different, though achieving the right one, Ito would've kept them behind for cheating. They both scored highly and went back to the desk, picking up their bags. They sat outside the room, still within in view of Ito, so he wouldn't think they were going to run off and spoke a little more about the play. Krad was extremely curious about how they were going to Belle clumsy.

Dark snickered. "During the dance, you'll probably have to trip or something. Or they could make you trip down the stairs. There are so many things they could do to you."

"There _were_ so many things you could do to me, as well. I think we went through most of them last night and this morning." Krad stuck his tongue out at the tanned angel, who chuckled.

"You seem more interested in the play, now. Are you happy that you don't have even more girly?"

Krad raised an eyebrow. "Dark, I can now threaten you with no sex if you keep running that smart mouth of yours."

Dark gasped. "You wouldn't!"

"Oh, I would." Krad really wanted to kiss Dark then but knew that Ito was watching them like a hawk. Showing affection was against school policy and Krad would know. He had actually read it and found it be very sucky.

"You're not nice!"

"And you're a beast."

They laughed and got to their feet when the bell rang. Ito called out to Krad, who said something about having to see the school nurse and would hand in his report the next day about his three months in Italia. Dark and Krad joined up with Daisuke and Satoshi. Daisuke said something about the play being a little unrealistic as it was painfully obvious that Daisuke was younger than Krad and didn't understand why he had to play the father.

"You're complaining about playing the father?" Satoshi asked. "At least you're not playing a talking clock."

"He's got you there, Dai-chan," Dark teased.

"Hey!" Daisuke whined. "You're playing a hideously grotesque beast that dies in the end!"

Krad looked at Daisuke. "You better act really heartbroken and shit when you find out I've killed myself, if they put that into the script."

Daisuke looked thoughtful. "That might be a little difficult…"

Dark and Krad glanced at each other then at Daisuke. "When did you grow a set of balls?" they asked, shocked by his response to Krad's warning.

Daisuke pouted. "Since I got sick of you two always picking on me! Seriously, I know I'm small and stuff but you two can be very cruel! Especially Dark, when he's bored and you say such lewd things to make me blush!"

"Like what?" Riku asked, standing behind the redhead.

Daisuke blushed, knowing that the angels set him up for that. He calmed himself and turned around. "Nothing. I was just joking. Dark is really a saint."

"What?" Dark and Riku asked.

"Who's living a life of celibacy."

"What?"

"Because he's a eunuch."

"What?"

Riku blinked. That was way too much information. "Um…I think you just scarred me for life, Daisuke." She shook her head as she walked off.

Daisuke turned around, smiling sweetly but Dark knew that innocence was false. "Well, let's see how long it takes for that spread around the school!" Daisuke said as the bell rang and he ran off to his next class.

Dark was in shock. His little Daisuke was growing up so quickly that the violet angel couldn't believe it. He knew he tormented Daisuke a lot out of boredom but he never expected Daisuke to retaliate in such a manner. Actually, Dark never expected Daisuke to retaliate, at all. Ever. Dark shook his head as someone tugged on his sleeve.

"Come on, Dark, we had better get to gym class before the teacher gives us detention and it won't do the play any good to have _both_ leading actors cutting rehearsals short." Krad took Dark's hand and dragged the tanned angel to the locker room, where they quickly changed into their gym clothes and joined the others.

* * *

Mrs. Takahashi had been correct. The scripts were ready by the final period of the day and Krad had two scenes with Daisuke, so the redhead went back to Hiwatari Mansion with the rest of them. Krad read his lines and wrinkled his nose up slightly. He hadn't gone through the whole script yet but he would definitely be needing some tips from Daisuke about how to make all the trips, stumbles and falls that Belle does in just the first two scenes look natural. Riku was with them as well, as she wanted to get a feel of how to act out the parts of Gaston with Krad.

The five of them were in the library as it was one of the biggest rooms in the mansion, so it gave them plenty of space to work with. The first scene, with people, as the narrator was going to tell the basic story with a black stage, was Belle walking around the town, making 'her' way to the bookstore. Belle was to trip five times in that scene, twice while with Gaston, because 'she's' reading the book. Satoshi stood in for the store keeper and they got to work.

"Fuck, I feel stupid already doing this," Krad complained as he pretended to hold a basket and walk into town, tripping for the first time. He got up, brushed himself off and pretended to pick up the basket and book. "I wonder if they'll ever fix that part of the road," he wondered out loud.

Daisuke played the part of a kid that runs past Belle, spinning 'her' around three times. After the second time, Krad was well and truly dizzy. He stumbled and continued on his way to the store, tripping up the small step. He pretended of the open the door.

"Back so soon?" Satoshi asked.

"Of course," Krad replied, handing him an invisible book. "I finished the book. It was so exciting, I couldn't put it down! I was wondering if there was anything here I haven't read, yet."

"No, my dear, there isn't."

Krad 'looked through a shelf and picked out a book, handing it to the store keeper'. "I'll borrow that one, again, please."

Satoshi forced a 'jolly laugh' and grimaced as it sounded more like someone had stepped on a cat's tail. "That was horrible," he said out of character. "You've read that one five times already!"

"Well, it's my favorite!" Krad declared, doing a pirouette. "Action, mystery, magic and romance!"

"Then you can have it!" Satoshi said happily, handing the 'book' to Krad.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Krad left the store and walked through town.

Riku entered the scene, pretending to shoot a goose. "Damn it, I need someone to be LeFou. I knew I was forgetting something!"

The five of them burst out laughing. That was by the far the best thing about the script. Dark got the feeling that if they didn't disclaim any rights to it, the school might be sued and stepped in to play Gaston's sidekick. With that sorted and them having calmed down, they got on with the scene again.

"Wow, Gaston!" Dark gushed, running up to Riku. "You're a really great shot! With an aim like that, there's not a girl in town that can say no to you!"

Riku smiled 'charmingly' and Dark was impressed. "I know," she said to the first part of the praise. "And there's only girl in town that's good enough for me!" she declared, pointing to Krad. "Belle! She will be my wife!"

"But-but-but…" Dark stammered. "She's a total klutz!"

"Be that as it may," Riku started, glaring at Dark. "She is the most beautiful girl in town and that makes her the best!"

"That's true –" Dark began, cut off as Riku grabbed the front of his shirt and 'punched' him.

"And don't _I_ deserve the best?" she demanded.

"O-of course!"

Riku pushed Dark down and hurried after Krad, who was pretty much just walking in place, his nose in the 'book'. "_Bonjour,_ Belle," Riku said, walking beside Krad.

"_Bonjour_, Gaston." Krad looked up when Riku plucked the 'book' from his hands. "Gaston, may I have my book back, please?"

Riku looked confused, turning pages in the 'book'. "How can you _read_ this without any pictures?"

"Some people use their 'imagination'," Krad said.

Riku threw the 'book' behind her and stepped in front of Krad as he went to pick it up. "Belle, it's not right for a woman to read. Soon she'll start getting ideas and thinking, when you should only be thinking about one thing. Me."

Daisuke, Dark and Satoshi played the three sisters that were gaga over Gaston. Dark couldn't take that seriously and ended up laughing, trying to be quiet when Riku and Krad glared at him. They were thankful he wouldn't be playing the part in rehearsal tomorrow, otherwise they both would've taken turns at punching him.

"What's with her?" Satoshi asked.

"She's crazy!" Daisuke declared.

"He's…" Dark broke off into laughter again.

Riku rolled her eyes. "Okay, let's take a break until Dark calms down and stops acting like a five-year-old girl."

"You'll be waiting a while for that, Riku," Krad muttered as he went into the kitchen to get them all drinks.

Dark calmed down and looked at the short haired Harada twin. "You know, Riku, I'm impressed by you. No, not like that!" he said when the girl raised an eyebrow. "You're really good at acting."

"Yeah, you've got the part of Gaston down, already. It won't take much more for you to know the part really well," Daisuke put in, grinning.

"Thanks. I actually drew my inspiration from you, Dark," Riku revealed. "Gaston reminds me of you. Rude, arrogant, narcissistic bastard."

"Ouch," Krad said when he walked back into the library with a tray. There were five glasses of juice and a bowl of almonds, to give them a little more energy, if they needed it. "That was kind of harsh, Riku. True but harsh."

"Hey!" Dark pouted. "I'm not rude! I'm arrogant and narcissistic, sure but for good reason!"

Krad rolled his eyes and picked up a glass, handing it to Riku and handing one to Dark. "Yes, yes, you're a _god_ to the gay community." He took one of the glasses and had a sip before eating a pinch of the almonds. "How confident do you feel about practicing our scenes, Daisuke?"

Daisuke shrugged, drinking his juice. "Pretty confident, actually. I'm not in many scenes before I'm almost completely cut from the play." Daisuke laughed. "I think Satoshi gets more screen time than me!"

Riku picked up a couple of the almonds. "Of course he does, Niwa. Cogsworth is an important role. He has to try and get Belle and the Beast to fall in love before the rose does whatever it's meant to do. Lose it petals, right?"

Dark cocked an eyebrow. "Wow, Riku, try not to show people that you're actually a girl." Dark finished his juice and cracked his knuckles. "Come on, let's get back to practice."

Daisuke and Krad sighed and nodded. They put their glasses down and decided to do the scene where Belle's father first comes into the play. Krad walked into the basement of their house, coughing and waving away smoke, helping put out a fire that 'her' father had somehow managed to start. At least the audience would know where 'she' got 'her' clumsiness from. They decided to ditch the 'inventor' idea and went with making the father a wannabe chef, hence the fire. He was still going to go to a fair, get lost and end up in the Beast's castle.

"Are you okay, Papa?" Krad asked, wiping the smoke stains from his father's face.

"God damn it!" Daisuke said with a cough. "I'll never get that blasted recipe right! This was your mother's best pie!"

"What did happen to her?" Krad asked.

"Who?"

"My mother."

"You had a mother? Huh, I don't remember that." Daisuke went over to a counter and began mixing more ingredients together. "Can you hand me that glycerine?"

Krad picked up a box, with a crestfallen look. "Papa…Do you think I'm odd?" he asked, touching Daisuke's hand for now to let the redhead know that was the box.

"My daughter? Odd….Okay, its going to take a while for to do that part with a straight face!" Daisuke tried to get serious but failed and ended up chuckling.

Krad giggled and nodded. "No, that's understandable. I doubt the audience will be able to keep a straight face once they realize I'm a boy."

Daisuke took a deep breath. "Okay, let's do it again from 'Papa, do you think I'm odd?'." Daisuke turned around and stuck his hand out, waiting for the glycerine.

"Papa…Do you think I'm odd?" Krad asked again, tapping the boy's hand.

"My daugh…God damn it!" Daisuke kicked himself in the ankle. "Krad, would you be able to sound a touch more feminine when we're doing this scene?"

"Are you saying I have a girly voice?" Krad shook his head and decided he could pull the redhead up on it later. "Okay." Krad took a deep breath, like Daisuke and tried to make his voice sound more feminine. "Papa…Do you think I'm odd?...Okay, no! That sounded like a parrot having a fucking heart attack!"

Dark and Riku burst out laughing, both at Krad's falsetto voice and his description of it. Riku wasn't sure if it was as difficult as Daisuke was making it out to be. All the red eyed idiot had to do was imagine that Krad was female, not that difficult and go from there. It would probably take a little bit but she was hoping Daisuke would get the hang of it, so they wouldn't have to cast Risa in Krad's place.

"Okay, Daisuke, how about if we just go from 'Where would you get an idea like that from?', instead?" Krad suggested. "We can work on the first bit a little later on in rehearsals."

Daisuke swallowed and nodded. "Where would you get an idea like that from?"

Krad looked away. "Its just that I don't think I fit in around here. People think I'm weird and I don't have any friends."

"What about that Gaston fellow? He's a well-liked and handsome guy." Daisuke scratched his rear.

"He's handsome, alright and rude and conceited. And oh, Papa, he's not the guy for me." Krad crouched down, seeing as there wasn't something for him to sit on.

"Okay, I think that's it!" Daisuke handed Krad a piece of the pastry he just made and Krad ate it, grinning.

"You got it right!"

"Saddle up the horse, girl! I-I'm off to the fa-fair!" Daisuke broke off into a fit of laughter, unable to believe he just called Krad a girl without being threatened.

Riku glanced at her watch. "Oh, shit! I can't believe it's that late already! I had better head home before my parents think I've been kidnapped or arrested for beating the crap out of someone, again. See you all tomorrow!" Riku ran out of the library, pulled her shoes on, grabbed her bag and left the mansion.

She was gone before any of them could utter a sound but they shrugged. Krad said he was going to start dinner and left the library as well. Satoshi, Daisuke and Dark decided to do their homework and grabbed their bags, sitting in the library. As they worked, Daisuke tried to get it in his mind that Krad was a girl, so it wasn't as difficult to call the blond angel his daughter. It was going to be difficult but the redhead was sure he could do it.

* * *

"Okay, places people! Those _not_ in this scene please help with the sets!" Mrs. Takahashi yelled, watching as the group of students on the stage dispersed, leaving eight. "Okay, and action!"

Krad looked at the wicker basket he carried and began walking into the 'town'. He tripped, the basket falling from his hand and the book that was in it spilling across the floor. Krad picked himself up, brushed off his 'skirt' and picked up the basket and book. "I wonder if they'll ever fix that part of the road."

One of the students ran past Krad, spinning him around. Again, truly dizzy, he stumbled and continued on his way, tripping up the small step of the shop entrance. The person playing the shop keeper, a boy named Sora, turned around, grinning at Krad.

"Back so soon?"

"Of course," Krad replied, handing him the book from the basket. "I finished the book. It was so exciting, I couldn't put it down! I was wondering if there was anything here I haven't read, yet."

"No, my dear, there isn't."

Krad looked through the imaginary shelf and picked up a book, handing it to Sora. "I'll borrow that one, again, please."

Sora laughed joyfully. "You've read this one five times!"

"Well, it's my favorite!" Krad declared, doing the pirouette. "Action, mystery, magic and romance!"

"Then you can have it!" Sora told Krad happily, handing the blond the book that was previously in the basket.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Krad left the store and walked through town.

Without a cue, Riku entered the stage, pretending to shoot a goose. Kenji picked it up and stuffed it into a bag, running up to Riku. "Wow, Gaston!" he gushed, almost as well as Dark had the previous night. "You're a really great shot! With an aim like that, there's not a girl in town that can say no to you!"

Riku did the same charming smile. "I know," she said cockily. "And there's only one girl in town that's good enough for me!" she declared, pointing to Krad. "Belle! She will be my wife!"

"But-but-but…" Kenji stammered, not quite as good as Dark had. "She's a total klutz!"

"Be that as it may," Riku started, glaring at Kenji. "She is the most beautiful girl in town and makes her the best!"

"That's true –" Kenji began, getting cut off as Riku grabbed the front of his shirt and 'punched' him in the face.

"And don't _I_ deserve the best?" she demanded.

"O-of course!"

Riku pushed Kenji to the floor and hurried after Krad, who was walking back and forth, in between 'buildings' and the likes, nose in the book. "_Bonjour_, Belle," Riku said, walking beside Krad.

"_Bonjour_, Gaston." Krad looked up when Riku took the book from his hands. "Gaston, may I have my book back, please?"

Placing the script under her arm for the time being, Riku turned the pages in the book. "How can you _read_ this without any pictures?"

"Some people use their 'imagination'," Krad said.

Riku threw the book behind her and stepped in front of Krad as he went to pick it up. She quickly read her line. "Belle, it's not right for a woman to read. Soon she'll start getting ideas and thinking, when you should only be thinking about one thing. Me."

The three girls that were gaga over Gaston were hanging a bit back in the scene. "What's with her?" one asked.

"She's crazy!" another declared.

"He's gorgeous!" the third said.

Krad picked up the book and cleaned it. "I'm sorry, Gaston. I really need to get back and help my father."

Kenji stood beside Riku and laughed. "That old loon? He needs all the help he can get!" Riku joined in on the laughing.

"Don't talk about my father that way!" Krad said, hands on his hips.

"Yeah," Riku agreed, hitting Kenji on top of the head. "Don't talk about her father that way!"

"He's a master chef!" Someone imitated an explosion and Krad spun around, running towards his house, Riku and Kenji snickering after him.

"Cut, end scene!" Mrs. Takahashi called. "That was great, Krad and Riku. You two are naturals. Kenji, when you're stuttering out the buts, make it a bit more natural, instead of saying each one as a single word." She flipped through the script. "I need our horse and the father! Shinji, Daisuke and Takara! I need you three on the stage now!"

Krad, Riku, Kenji and the extras cleared off the stage as Shinji and Takara stepped on. Krad stood beside Dark and called out that they were waiting for Daisuke. The redhead scurried onto the stage and sat on Shinji's back. While the teacher was preoccupied, Dark and Krad shared a quick, passionate kiss before they went back to watching the scene. Krad told Dark he was going to see what he could do with the sets, seeing as he wasn't due on the stage for another three scenes. As the blond walked off, Dark slapped his rear, smirking, when Krad squealed and swatted at his hand.

Everyone in the auditorium froze when Krad screamed. Dark turned around in time to get Krad's school shirt in his face. By the time he removed it, Krad was fitted in a gold dress. Risa and her friends stood back, grinning as they looked Krad over. Krad, on the other hand, looked like he had just been violated and not in a good way. Mrs. Takahashi came running and saw what the commotion was about. Satoshi snickering and full on laughed when Krad shot him a glare.

Krad turned his raging eyes to Risa. "You fucking harlot!" he raged at her, watching as the girl shrank back. Krad took a step towards her and squeaked as tripped over the front of the dress and fell to the floor. That was _the_ most humiliating moment in his entire existence. It didn't help that everyone was then laughing at him. Krad glanced at Dark and flinched as he saw that Dark was practically rolling on the floor with laughter and even the teacher was chuckling.

Krad felt tears sting his eyes and that just made matters worse. He got to his feet, gathered the skirt up and ran from the auditorium. He didn't care how ridiculous he looked; he just had to be away from all the laughter. _Is this how Carrie felt when those kids poured that blood over her?_ Krad didn't bother to give that thought too much attention as he ran out of the school gates and towards the Hiwatari Mansion. He ignored all the odd looks strangers were throwing his way. He just hoped that running away would make it a bit better. He wasn't used to being laughed at. In fact, he was never going to be used to it.

Dark calmed himself down and looked at Risa's feet, not seeing Krad there. "Hey, where'd he go?" Dark noticed that he was the one who took the longest to calm down, as the others were already back on stage and had been trying to concentrate through his hysterical laughter.

Satoshi looked at Dark. "He ran away, about ten minutes ago."

Dark cursed and took off after the blond. It wasn't his fault that the display of anger had been so hilarious. Dark ran back to the mansion and let himself in, going straight up to Krad's room. He could hear Krad crying and saw the sobs that wracked his body. Dark shifted as he stood just inside the room, watching Krad. He felt guilty about laughing so much as he was certain Krad had never experienced anything like that before. Dark went to take a step but froze when he heard whispering and Krad's head suddenly snapped up.

"Fuck off!" he hissed through his tears. "You're not getting inside me again!"

"_I never made you cry."_

Dark's eyes widened. He knew that voice. After hearing it for so long, it was kind of hard to not know Krad's evil voice. It was strange to hear it sound falsely caring, though as it spun words and twisted Krad's to its liking. Dark was certain that he was going insane. The evil that was inside Krad was gone, though. Wasn't it?

"You just killed me from the inside out, you sadistic fucktard!"

There was a growl. _"Mind your tone with me! Sooner or later, he'll do something to break you, like he did last time. And then, I'll have you again."_ It was invisible but Dark could hear the smirk in its voice and could see an image of how Krad was before. His beautiful features contorted with evil and that damn smirk.

Krad sighed and got to his feet, trying to figure out how to take the dress off when he saw Dark. Krad glared at the thief. "_What_ do you want, thief?"

"You said it was gone, Krad. You said I didn't have to worry about it anymore! It's still fucking here! You _lied_ to me!" Dark's glare would've made Krad proud, if it wasn't being directed at the blond.

"'Lied'? I never lied to you, Mousy? I just said it wasn't in me anymore. I never said anything about it being gone! It's a fucking demon, Mousy! You think those things just disappear once they've been expelled? No, they don't! They hang around for a little bit, hoping to get back into the person they were possessing! So don't you fucking _dare_ tell me that I lied!"

Dark growled. "You're just letting it hang around, Krad! You've done nothing to get rid of it! I didn't know you loved it so fucking much. But you know what? Fuck you, I'm done. You and your little friend here can hang out for as long as you fucking want!"

Dark went to Krad's closet and pulled out the suitcases he had used to move in with. He packed his belongings and ignored the look of sheer hurt on Krad's face. He didn't want anything to do with the blond. If he wasn't going to get rid of the demon that had caused him so much pain, Dark wasn't going to be around to see it happen again. He had tried his hardest to help Krad through it but the blond obviously kept it around for a reason. Dark wasn't going to find out what that reason was. He wanted nothing more to do with Krad after the play.

With his stuff packed, Dark walked out of Krad's balcony doors, suitcases in his hands. He grew his wings and took to the sky, ignoring the whisper of, 'You did it, Dark Mousy, you broke me again'. He didn't care what Krad said about him; he was done. And Dark didn't even know why. He couldn't understand where his anger had come from. Everything had been perfect. He'd had the best last night of his life, a great morning, a great day and the evening was just horrible. Dark didn't care, though. He knew all good things had to come to an end.

Landing on his small balcony, Dark slipped through his open window and saw the notebook he had stolen from Krad's room on his desk. He picked it up and threw it out of the window, not caring where it landed. Every memory he had of Krad, he was going to dispel. And again, he didn't understand it. Was it the work of that demon? Did that monster instill all that hate towards Krad just to get him out of the way? Dark didn't know. He was still pissed off at Krad for keeping it around. With a sigh, Dark threw himself onto his bed and closed his eyes. He felt like shit.

* * *

_I watched him. My heart ached as I watched what he did to himself. It ached as I watched what I made him do to himself. It wasn't my fault, though. I knew that but it didn't stop the guilty from spreading over my being. He looked like he was enjoying it, anyway. I shouldn't stop himself, no matter how much he was begging me to. He was the one who had done it, not me. He was the one that had let it back in, not me. He was the one who crumbled, not me. He was the one responsible for it _all_, not me._

_I had never broken Krad, as much as I wanted to. I could never do it. He was always so calm and if there ever was a crack, he covered it up. He didn't want people knowing he had emotions. He didn't want people to mistake him for being human. He hated people, so there was no way he would be able to know what they truly thought of him. Everyone called him a monster and he didn't stop the accusations; he laughed at them. He fueled the fire by doing something only a monster would do. He was the true beast._

_He never felt anything for anyone. And I'm sure he would gladly blame that on the demon that was inside of him. Even now, he was probably blaming the demon that had slipped into him. Why had it slipped into him? Because he wasn't strong enough. He liked to claim he was the strongest out of us but he wasn't. He was the weakest. He might have been the more intelligent one but never had a strong will. The only will he had left in him was to kill me and he'd failed that several times, too._

_And even now as I watch what he's doing to himself, I ache. I wanted to run over and stop him but I knew I couldn't. I was done with him. I was sick of the way he was. I was still pissed off that he hadn't found a way of removing that demon completely. I missed him, though. God knew I fucking missed him. The beauty that was Krad and even now as he continued to beg me to make it stop, he was beautiful. The demon was toying with me, using his innocence against me. It was expecting me to run to Krad's side and try to stop him but I didn't care. At least, I pretended that I didn't. I did care, a lot. Every stab was like one in my own being. Every tear I could feel fall down my cheeks as though I was the one crying._

_Krad and I were linked but I was still done with him. If had been so adamant about changing, he would've removed everything that reminded him of that time from his life. _He did_, a voice whispered inside my head. _You wouldn't leave him alone, though. No, you kept going back to him. You were drawn to him._ I shook his head. What the hell was going on? I was never drawn to Krad. _Don't like to yourself. I know what you're really thinking and I know you're forcing yourself to watch._ I rolled my eyes._

"_Make it stop!" Krad begged, crying as he continued to stab himself in the side of the throat with a knife. "Make it stop!"_

_I stayed where I was. I had been the one that had handed the weapon to Krad and told him to do that. He had smiled and nodded and done it. He now wanted me to tell him to stop. I wasn't going to, though. No, he had to prove his love to me. If he loved me, he would continue until I thought he had proved it enough. I was a monster. And I know I was _the_ monster that had infested Krad in the beginning. I didn't care, though. I smirked as he cried more and more of his blood fell to the snow covered floor._

_I raised an eyebrow when Krad's evil alter ego appeared behind him. I hadn't invited that thing to the party. It didn't care that it was uninvited and that annoyed me. Now was a time for me and Krad, not that thing. I watched as it whispered into Krad's ear and Krad glared at it. He was rejecting it and I smirked. My eyes widened as Krad stopped stabbing him. The blade was still in his throat but looked at me, smiled in the way that said 'I love you with all my heart' and turned the blade around in his neck and cut through his throat. His blood sprayed over me and fell to the floor. I still didn't move. I hadn't won. The demon had._

_

* * *

_

Dark gasped as he woke. He looked around and tried to take in surroundings. His head was killing him and there was something laughing. That had been the most fucked up dream so far. Dark knew he was pissed at Krad but if the blond had called him and asked him for help, Dark would've been around instantly. And it appeared that was where he was. He was in Krad's bed, even if he didn't remember getting there. Dark put it down to being instinct. He had certainly spent more time there than at the Niwa's.

Dark closed his eyes again. He didn't want to think about that nightmare but suddenly sat upright. Whenever he had been with Krad, Dark had noticed that he didn't have those nightmares. Krad seemed to sort of protect him from them. So if he was in Krad's bed, why the fuck was he having a nightmare? Dark turned on the bedside lamp and cried out. Krad was laying beside him, his eyes closed and that small smile on his lips and half of his throat missing. Dark felt tears spring into his eyes and he ran from the room, bashing on Satoshi's door, telling him to call for an ambulance.

Dark went back to Krad's bedroom and saw that the white bed was tainted. Krad wasn't breathing and Dark had a feeling that Krad's heart had stopped minutes ago. The blood was beginning to coagulate and Dark knew it would be pointless trying to save him. He glared around the room and shouted out if that was what the demon had wanted. His answer was an almost childish laugh. Dark knelt beside the bed and took one of Krad's blood stained hands in his own. He repeatedly apologized to the blond for being the one to cause it all. He just wished he knew why it had happened. The demon had gotten what it wanted and that was when he was answered.

"It's the Gemini Lotus effect. If I can't have him, no one can."

* * *

End.

Sweet, merciful crap! I think this is the _only_ story I've ever completed! Yays to me and whatnot. Anyways, I'm sorry that it took a sudden turn for the worst but after writing 'Children of Tomorrow' I decided I would kill Krad.

Questions? Comments? Please review!


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